Kyrie Irving’s latest project isn’t about branding or logos — it’s about rewriting who gets access to elite basketball resources. Now, one of the NBA’s most creative forces is extending that impact into the HBCU world. Paul Quinn College — the only HBCU in the city of Dallas — has been named one of 14 basketball programs to receive a full uniform sponsorship from Irving and ANTA.
The partnership marks a three-year commitment. Delivering top-tier sneakers, warmups, and team gear to both its men’s and women’s teams.
For an HBCU program built on resilience and community investment, this isn’t just a shipment of gear. It’s a signal. Kyrie Irving is betting on them.
A Movement Bigger Than Sneakers
The announcement is part of a continent-spanning grassroots initiative. Irving and ANTA’s sponsorship covers 14 youth and school programs across New Jersey, Texas, and California. Middle schoolers, travel teams, high school hoops factories — and now an HBCU — all connected by the same creative force behind the ANTA KAI apparel line.
Irving isn’t a logo athlete in this partnership. He’s the architect. Since joining ANTA in 2023 and assuming the role of Chief Creative Officer of ANTA Basketball, Kyrie has shaped the brand’s design direction, storytelling, and cultural reach. The uniform sponsorships reflect that same blend of artistry and purpose.
Programs were outfitted in some of the KAI line’s most popular colorways. Crown Jewel, Mentality, Retro ’90s, and Klay. With collections built around performance, style, and a little bit of Irving’s unmistakable spiritual flair.
Paul Quinn College: An HBCU With a Purpose
Paul Quinn College didn’t hide its excitement. On social media, the school made it clear this wasn’t “your ordinary sneaker drop.” This was an NBA superstar investing in an HBCU for the long haul.
“NBA legend Kyrie Irving… will outfit our basketball teams with brand new ANTA shoes and apparel for the next three years! Thank you, Kyrie, for investing in our student-athletes and believing in the power of community.”
For an HBCU program working to compete, grow, and attract talent in the ever-shifting NAIA landscape, a three-year partnership with one of the league’s most influential players — and one of the world’s largest sportswear brands — is a competitive edge you can feel right away.
A Full Circle Move for Kyrie
The regional footprint of this initiative is intentional — New Jersey (where Kyrie grew up), Texas (where he now plays), and California (where ANTA is expanding its U.S. presence).
Paul Quinn sits right in the heart of that Texas connection, just minutes from the Dallas Mavericks’ home base. For Kyrie, it’s another chance to embed himself in the city’s basketball fabric beyond the bright lights of the NBA hardwood.
And it comes at a moment when his KAI brand is gaining real momentum. Since leaving Nike in late 2022, Irving’s partnership with ANTA has turned him into something more than a signature athlete. His fingerprints are all over the KAI 1 and KAI 2, and now they’ll be on the feet of HBCU athletes stepping into new jerseys, new expectations, and a new level of pride.
HBCUs in the Spotlight — Again
For Paul Quinn, this partnership represents another win in a string of recent boosts to its unique brand of HBCU hoops visibility. From NBA initiatives to media expansions to player-driven investments, Black colleges continue to receive meaningful recognition from the culture’s biggest names — and Kyrie’s involvement pushes that momentum forward.
The message is simple: HBCU hoops belong under the limelight. And when Kyrie and ANTA say they are building their “Tribe,” programs like Paul Quinn — along with youth teams from Newark to Dallas to Los Angeles — now have the gear, the backing, and the belief to live that identity out loud.