You remember the summer of 2019, right? It was a weirdly glorious time for footwear. While everyone else was arguing over thick-soled dad shoes, Kyrie Irving and Nike decided to drop a literal pineapple under the sea onto the NBA hardwood.
Honestly, the Kyrie Irving SpongeBob shoes shouldn't have worked. On paper, a professional basketball player collaborating with a children’s cartoon character sounds like a recipe for a "clearance rack" disaster. But then you saw them.
The vibrant yellow mesh. That squiggly, hand-drawn Swoosh. The fact that the insoles actually had SpongeBob’s goofy, grinning face staring back at you. It wasn't just a marketing gimmick; it was a love letter to a generation that grew up on Nickelodeon. Now, even years after the initial drop and Kyrie’s high-profile split from Nike, these kicks are still some of the most sought-after pairs in the resale market.
Why Bikini Bottom Ended Up on the Basketball Court
Kyrie Irving has always been a bit of an "outside the box" thinker. Some call it eccentric; others call it being a "true individual," which is actually how he described Sandy Cheeks during the collection's launch.
He didn't just pick SpongeBob because it was popular. He’s a genuine superfan. We're talking about a guy who was seen whistling the theme song during interviews. He grew up with the show, which debuted in 1999, and he’s gone on record saying he sees SpongeBob as a hero because of his "incurable optimism."
The collaboration wasn't a half-baked licensing deal. Nike Basketball Footwear Design Director Leo Chang and his team actually sat down with Nickelodeon to ensure the textures were right. They didn't just want yellow shoes; they wanted shoes that felt like a sponge.
The Lineup: Not Just a Yellow Sneaker
The collection was surprisingly deep. It wasn't just a SpongeBob colorway and a few "B-side" characters. It was a five-shoe pack that split between the Kyrie 5 and the Kyrie Low 2.
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- The SpongeBob Kyrie 5: This was the flagship. It featured a porous, "sponge-like" yellow upper and a gum rubber outsole that perfectly matched SpongeBob’s signature brown shorts and white shirt.
- The Patrick Star Kyrie 5: Vibrant pink with a green and purple midsole. If you look closely at the upper, it has a speckled texture that mimics the skin of a starfish.
- The Squidward Tentacles Kyrie 5: Easily the most "wearable" of the bunch for people who don't want to look like a literal cartoon. It used a seafoam green palette that actually looked pretty sophisticated on the court.
- The Mr. Krabs Kyrie Low 2: Bright money-red with a "splattered Plankton" graphic on the lateral side. Because, obviously, Mr. Krabs is always crushing the competition.
- The Sandy Cheeks Kyrie Low 2: A clean white design inspired by her astronaut suit, complete with a tiny pink flower on the side.
Later, they even added a "Pineapple House" version of the Kyrie 5, which took the literal house from the show and turned it into a sneaker. It was a lot. But in the best way possible.
The Technical Stuff: Do They Actually Play Well?
It’s easy to get distracted by the bright colors, but let’s be real: these are performance basketball shoes.
The Kyrie 5 introduced "Air Zoom Turbo" technology. Most shoes have a flat Zoom bag, but the Kyrie 5’s cushioning was engineered to wrap around the sides of the foot. Why? Because Kyrie plays like a madman. He’s constantly changing directions, and he needed a shoe that provided energy return even when he was leaning at a 45-degree angle.
The traction on the SpongeBob collection is famously "sticky." The 360-degree grip pattern on the outsole was designed so you could stop on a dime. Ironically, while the shoes look like they belong in a swimming pool, they are some of the best-performing "dry land" sneakers Nike ever produced for the Kyrie line.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Resale Value
If you think you can just hop on an app and snag a pair of Kyrie Irving SpongeBob shoes for the original $130 retail price, I've got some bad news.
Since Nike and Kyrie officially parted ways in late 2022, the supply has effectively vanished. There are no "restocks" coming. You aren't going to find these at a Nike Unite outlet in 2026.
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Today, a "Deadstock" (brand new) pair of the SpongeBob Kyrie 5 can easily fetch anywhere from $350 to $600 depending on the size. Even used pairs are holding their value remarkably well, often selling for $200+.
The Patrick Star colorway is particularly hard to find in good condition because that pink mesh tends to show dirt if you so much as look at it wrong. If you're buying these today, you're paying for a piece of sports-meets-pop-culture history.
The Cultural Ripple Effect
This wasn't just a win for sneakerheads. It changed how brands looked at "nerd culture" collaborations.
Before this, most "cartoon" shoes were cheap sneakers for toddlers. The Kyrie x SpongeBob collection proved that grown men—and professional athletes—would happily wear a Patrick Star shoe if the design was right.
We’ve seen the "cartoonification" of sneakers explode since then. Think about the Powerpuff Girls SB Dunks or the Space Jam LeBrons. They all owe a little bit of their DNA to a yellow sponge and a point guard with a complicated relationship with the media.
Looking to Buy? Here’s the Strategy
If you're hunting for a pair in 2026, don't just buy the first one you see on a resale site.
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Watch for the "Sponge" wear. On the yellow Kyrie 5, the "pores" are printed on. On heavily used pairs, these can start to peel or fade. Always ask for high-resolution photos of the heel and the toe box.
Check the insoles. A major "tell" for fakes back in the day was the printing of the characters on the insoles. The real ones are crisp; the fakes usually look like they were printed on an inkjet from 1995.
Verify the SKU. - SpongeBob (Yellow): CJ6951-700
- Patrick (Pink): CJ6951-600
- Squidward (Green): CJ6951-300
The Actionable Bottom Line
If you're a collector, these are a "Buy" and "Hold." With Kyrie now over at ANTA, his Nike era is officially a closed chapter, making these SpongeBob iterations some of the most iconic pieces of his legacy.
For the average person just looking for a cool gym shoe, maybe look elsewhere—you’re going to pay a "nostalgia tax" that makes them too expensive to actually beat up on a court. But if you want a conversation starter that actually performs like a pro-level sneaker, there is nothing else quite like them.
Next time you’re browsing a resale app, keep an eye on the "Sponge" status. Just don't expect to find them at a Krusty Krab discount.