Will we ever see these “All-Star” Kyrie 2? (Pics)

In the event you’ve been without WiFi for the last few weeks, you will have missed that Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry used a never-seen-before social media campaign to surge ahead of Cavs guard Kyrie Irving for a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star squad. Given that Irving had played in fewer than 20 games prior to the reserves being named—while putting up largely meh numbers mixed with a few jaw-dropping highlights—the one-time All-Star MVP will not be suiting up in Toronto alongside his star-caliber peers. The rub, however, is that Nike, the apparel company that gave Irving his own signature line a season ago, had already made a whole slew of “All-Star” Kyrie 2 sneakers in anticipation of Irving making the team.

Shipped out to retailers in anticipation of a release mid-next week (along with teammate LeBron James’ LeBron 13), the fate of Irving’s patch-filled Kyrie 2 remains unknown. There have been rumors that the shoe will still release at some point later this season, but Nike is not confirming that information as true. It’s tough to envision an obvious All-Star sneaker being released at a later time under a completely different narrative, but with the shoe being produced at full-run, general release levels, it’s even tougher to envious Nike not making a single dollar on the roll-of-the-dice release.

Nike famously created a championship pack of the LeBron 11 (one high-top, one low-top) in 2014, but these had to be released later as the Miami Heat were waxed by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The “Champ Pack” was renamed the “Cramp Pack” in the sneaker community after James allegedly suffered cramps in San Antonio, leading to his team’s demise. No word on if Irving’s non-All-Star kicks will get similar treatment, but if they’re anything like James’ 11s, they’ll be treated like a late-80s error card (complete with a four-time All-Star patch) and given that much more attention in the way of demand.