After Kyrie Irving hangs up his NBA jersey, he might be making a transition into his family’s business.
It seems Irving, who has a net net worth of $90 million, wants to join his father, Drederick Irving and stepmother Shetellia Riley’s sports management company. Shetellia is currently his agent and the only Black female agent in the league. She is also the CEO of A11Even Sports, a company both of his parents run.
The sports space is relatively new to Shetellia, who previously worked for BET in ad sales, as A11Even Sports seems to be her first venture into the industry, and the company is young, having launched in 2022.
According to Clutch Points, Shetellia became Kyrie’s official agent in March 2022. Some 16 months she helped the guard reach agreement with the Mavericks on a three-year, $126 million contract.
Shetellia has been Kyrie’s stepmother since she married his father in 2004. Kyrie’s birth mother, Elizabeth, passed away when he was 4.
Shetellia talked about Irving’s possible transition from player to agent on “Earn Your Leisure” on Nov. 28, 2023.
In the interview, Shetellia unveiled her road map for the future of her business. She aims to expand her clientele significantly within the next two to three years, setting her sights on sealing deals worth a staggering $1 billion — a lofty goal for a company with just one active NBA player as a client in Irving.
While she fills the role of CEO, Kyrie’s father acts as A11Even Sports’ CFO.
“Once [Kyrie’s] done, the goal would be to pass it on to him,” Shetellia said on “Earn Your Leisure.” “I can retire, his dad can retire and we can run around and act like we’re 20-something years old. That’s the goal…because I think at some point [Kyrie] would have enough experience to really, really be an agent of change for players coming into the industry.”
According to the company’s website, while the number of clients managed by A11Even Sports is not detailed, it displays more than a dozen basketball and soccer players from Brazil or South America from various teams. Notably, the website prominently features former NBA player Nene Hilario, who is now playing in Brazil.
A11Even Sports claims that in addition to helping players reach the NBA it offers advisory, negotiation, club communication, transfer, and scouting support.
Irving’s Business Deals
As Finurah previously reported, in 2019, Nike’s executive chairman, Mark Parker, selected the Kyrie shoe line as key to company’s basketball future. One of Nike’s most popular sneaker lines, Irving was reportedly making at least $11 million annually on that deal, Yahoo Sports reported.
Kyrie Controversy
During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving found himself embroiled in a controversy more than once. He chose not to be vaccinated during the covid pandemic which led to him not being able to play, which led to his losing thousands of dollars and putting his contract in jeopardy, according to EPSN. Then in 2022, Irving’s Twitter post sharing a link to an Amazon documentary that had been deemed anti-Semitic got him called out for anti-Semitism. Initially resistant to issuing an apology, Irving’s refusal resulted in a five-game suspension without pay. And although he eventually apologized, Nike severed ties with the player.
Nike had planned to release the latest version of his signature sneaker, the Kyrie 8 in November 2022, those plans got canceled.