Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving apologized late Thursday for tweeting a link to a documentary that has been criticized as anti-Semitic, saying he takes full responsibility for his decision to share the content with his nearly five million followers.   

  The NBA star posted the apology on his verified Instagram account hours after the Nets announced his five-game suspension to defend his decision later.   

  “To all the Jewish families and communities who were hurt and affected by my position, I am deeply sorry for causing you pain and I apologize,” Irving wrote.  “I initially reacted with emotion at being unfairly labeled as anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters who were hurt by the hateful comments made in the Documentary.   

  “I had no intention of disrespecting any Jewish cultural history related to the Holocaust or perpetuating any hatred.  I learn from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between all of us,” Irving continued.   

  Irving was condemned last week by Nets owner Joe Chai and the NBA, among others, for tweeting a link to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which is based on the book of the same name by Ronald Dalton and has been labeled anti-Semitic by civil rights groups.   

  Before Irving shared his apology, his team released a statement on Twitter saying they had made repeated efforts to help Irving “understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with the release of a film containing deeply disturbing anti-Semitic hatred’.   

  The Nets said they were “disappointed” Thursday when Irving “declined to say categorically that he has no anti-Semitic beliefs, nor to acknowledge specific hate material in the film,” during a media session.   

  “It was not the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify,” the group said.   

  While meeting with the media earlier Thursday, Irving was asked if he was apologizing when he said he meant no offense after tweeting a link to the film.   

  “I meant no harm,” Irving replied.  “I’m not the one who made the documentary.”   

  “I take full responsibility, and I’ll say it again, for posting something on my Instagram or Twitter that may have had some unfortunate falsehoods in it,” he said.   

  “I take responsibility for publishing this,” Irving continued.  “Some things that were questionable in there, untrue.   

  “Like I said the first time you asked me while I was sitting on that stage.  I don’t believe everything everyone posts.  It’s a documentary.  So I take my responsibilities.”   

  Asked if he held anti-Semitic beliefs, Irving replied: “I respect all walks of life.  I embrace all walks of life.  That’s where I sit.”   

  When pressed to answer yes or no to the question, he replied: “I can’t be anti-Semitic if I know where I come from.”   

  Responding to that response on Twitter, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League – a “non-profit organization dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred that undermine justice and fair treatment for every person” – said Irving had “a lot of work to do.”   

  “The answer to the question ‘Do you have anti-Semitic beliefs’ is always ‘NO’ without a doubt.  We took @KyrieIrving at his word when he said he took responsibility, but today he didn’t follow through on that promise,” Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted Thursday.  “Kyrie clearly has a lot of work to do.”   

  The Nets said in a statement Thursday, “This failure to repudiate anti-Semitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply troubling, goes against the values ​​of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team.  Therefore, we believe that he is currently not fit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.  We have determined that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective corrective measures that address the harmful effects of his conduct and the period of suspension served is no less than five games.”   

  That media appearance followed an announcement Wednesday by Irving and the Nets that they would both donate $500,000 to anti-hate organizations.   

  In an earlier joint statement between Irving, the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League, the 30-year-old said he took “responsibility” for the “negative impact” his post had on the Jewish community.   

  But Thursday night, after the suspension was announced, Greenblatt tweeted that the ADL could not “in good conscience accept” Irving’s donation.   

  “Irving has been given ample opportunity to do the right thing, apologize and condemn #antisemitism.  It has failed at almost every step along the way.  This suspension is deserved,” Greenblatt said.  “We were hopeful, but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no responsibility for his actions.”   

  Earlier this week, NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said he believed the league “dropped the ball” on Irving and that he believed the player should have been ejected.   

  On Tuesday, when asked why Irving had not been disciplined for his actions, Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters, “I think we’re having those conversations behind the scenes.”   

  NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “disappointed” with Irving after the guard did not apologize or denounce the “harmful content contained in the film he chose to release.”  Silver will meet with Irving next week, the commissioner said in a statement Thursday.   

  “Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a movie that contains deeply offensive anti-Semitic material,” Silver said.   

  “While we appreciate that he has agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not apologized unreservedly and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in film he chose to publicize.”   

  Irving was not made available to the media Monday or Tuesday after the Nets’ games those days.   

  The joint statement said the donations were made to “eliminate hatred and intolerance in our communities”.   

  Greenblatt, with the Anti-Defamation League, had said: “At a time when anti-Semitism has reached historic levels, we know that the best way to combat the oldest hatred is to confront it head-on and also to change hearts and minds.” ».   

  Kanye West, who has come under fire after making anti-Semitic comments on social media and in interviews, showed his support for Irving by tweeting a photo of the guard on Thursday.