ANTA Philippines has further deepened the connection between Kyrie Irving and San Beda University through the uniforms it provided for NCAA Season 102.
In a major first in the famed Varsity Project of the Chinese sporting goods giant’s local arm, the Red Lions will be wearing jerseys and shorts featuring the logo of the company’s Chief Creative Officer in their ‘back-to-back’ aspirations.
“We chose San Beda because some of them actually met Kyrie, so it’s more personal for those who flew with us to Jakarta,” ANTA Philippines’ marketing manager Mikko Abello said. “We’re happy with how the jerseys turned out.”
The amiable executive was referring to Irving’s ‘The Return’ tour in Indonesia last June, which marked his second-ever visit to Southeast Asia after visiting Thailand back in 2024—a year into his multi-year partnership with ANTA.
A part of the event held at the Pondok Indah Mall 3 in South Jakarta was a 3×3 game featuring the San Beda quartet of Jomel Puno, Daniel Marcelo, Aldous Torculas, and Zedjay Etulle, which beat a selection of Indonesian pros.
And the reward at the event’s end was not just a fresh pair of the ANTA KAI 3 ‘Kaifeng’ for each of them, but also getting up close as well with the NBA champion himself, who gamely signed their jerseys and the new shoes they received.
It was also during ‘The Return’ that the Red Lions, led by Coach Yuri Escueta, gave Irving a dark San Beda jersey, which the latter accepted and posed with.
About three months later, the uniforms that they will be using will bear the “Enlightened Warrior” logo, embroidered alongside the ANTA branding.
The new kits were given to the team on Wednesday and gave the Bedans an early look, as the team wore them in their tuneup match with fellow NCAA competitors Lyceum at the St. Placid Sports Center, in which they won, 77-70.
Aside from Irving’s logo, the jerseys offer a slim look similar to last season’s version, featuring ANTA KAI graphics on the side panels and on the shorts.
Those intricate designs were digitally printed to the fabric, but the rest of the elements, from the classic ‘SAN BEDA’ on the front to the surnames and numbers as well as the sponsor, league, and team logos, were embroidered.
“We went with a patch-cut design because we wanted the jerseys to give that retro feel while offering a modern look at the same time,” explained Abello.
The jersey reveal and the exhibition were part of ANTA Philippines’ ‘A Toast To The Champions’ affair, in which the brand led the dedication of championship banners alongside members of champion San Beda teams in the past.
It was also the unveiling of the repainted gymnasium, made possible with the help of Rain or Shine, whose PBA team is also being supported by the brand.
