Irving faced heavy criticism after he posted a link to the 2018 documentary film on Twitter in late October and later defending the post. The seven-time All Star has since deleted the post and apologized.

Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment on The Athletic's report. Irving could not be immediately reached for comment.

The sportswear giant in November canceled its next Irving-branded shoe release. Several media outlets have reported the sneaker deal to be worth $11 million, but Reuters could not confirm that.

Irving returned to play for The Nets last month, ending a team-imposed eight-game suspension.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Krishna Chandra Eluri)