The sporting goods giant announced the move after Kyrie Irving was suspended for at least five games by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, over the controversy. The club said it was disappointed at his repeated failure to “unequivocally state that he does not hold anti-Semitic beliefs,” adding that he is “not currently fit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.” Irving subsequently issued a belated apology in which he said he was “deeply sorry” and took full responsibility “for my actions”, having initially defended retweeting a link to a film, which includes Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories about Jews . The 30-year-old signed with Nike in 2011 and has had a signature footwear line with the Oregon-based company since 2014, with the endorsement deal said to earn him $11m (£9.7m) a year. The Kyrie 8 trainer was expected to release next week, but has now been pulled. Nike said in a statement: “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn all forms of anti-Semitism. “To that end, we have made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer release the Kyrie 8.” He added: “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.” Irving also faced criticism for his behavior from Adam Silver, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, although Kanye West, the rapper who has been criticized for anti-Semitic comments on social media and in interviews, showed his support by tweeting a picture of the player. Read More: West Claims She Lost $2 Billion A Day After Yeezy Deal With Adidas Completed Rapper Filled With ‘Disgusting, Hateful, Weird Nazi Obsession’ Image: Photo: AP In his apology posted on Instagram, Irving said: “I want to clear up any confusion about where I stand on the fight against anti-Semitism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a real explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the documentary with the which I agreed and disagreed with. “I had no intention of disrespecting any Jewish cultural history related to the Holocaust or perpetuating any hatred.” He added: “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.” In response, Brooklyn GM Sean Marks said it was a step forward, but added: “There will be some corrective measures and measures taken to obviously seek some advice … from dealing with some anti- hatred and some Jewish leaders in our community. “He’ll have to sit down with them, he’ll have to sit down with the organization after that, and we’ll evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back.” Earlier this week, Irving and the club announced they would each donate $500,000 (£440,000) to anti-hate causes. It’s the second straight season the Nets have sidelined Irving. Last year, he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as a result of which he cannot play home games. Irving has also previously questioned whether the Earth was round before eventually apologizing to science teachers.
