Kyrie Irving will miss the first of many Brooklyn Nets games on Friday after being suspended for comments about his tweet linked to an anti-Semitic documentary.
The Nets suspended Irving on Thursday after he initially reiterated his decision to share the content on his Twitter account. The star NBA point guard issued an apology hours later on his verified Instagram account, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.
“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.
Backlash against Irving grew after he defended his decision to share a link to the 2018 film “Jews in Black: Awakening Black America” last week. The film, based on Ronald Dalton’s book of the same name, has been criticized by civil rights groups for its anti-Semitism.
Reporters asked Irving earlier Thursday — before he released his apology — whether he holds anti-Semitic beliefs or is sorry. At the time, he responded by saying he respected “all walks of life” and that he meant no harm.
The Nets later said they were “outraged” when the player “refused to unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs, nor to acknowledge specific hateful material in the film,” during a media session.
“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,” the Nets said in a statement before Irving apologized.
The team also said they made repeated efforts to help Irving “understand the harm and danger of his words and actions.”
Irving’s suspension without pay means he will not play in Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards. The suspension will last at least four additional games, and Irving must also satisfy “a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful effects of his conduct,” the Nets said.
When asked if there was any thought about releasing Irving, Nets GM Sean Marks said, “No. Not at this particular moment.”
“There will be some remedial measures and steps taken to obviously seek some counseling … to deal with some anti-hate leaders and some Jewish leaders within our community,” Marks told reporters Friday before the race. team against the Washington Wizards “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. ”
Irving was suspended without pay and will miss at least the team’s next five games, including Friday’s game against the Wizards.
Irving’s Nets teammate Kevin Durant described this week’s issues as “unnecessary” and expressed his belief that the team could have “been quiet” about Irving’s comments.
“I’m not here to judge anyone or talk down about anyone… I just didn’t like any of what happened. I feel like it was all unnecessary,” Durant said of the punishment Irving’s team received during the Nets’ pregame availability Friday. “I feel like we could just keep playing basketball and be quiet as an organization. I just don’t like any of it.”
Asked if he believed the suspension was unfair, Durant said, “I believe and trust the organization to do what’s right.”
Shortly after his media availability, Durant tweeted: “I just want to clarify the statements I made during the shooting, I see some people are confused. I don’t condone hate speech or anti-Semitism, I always want to spread love.”
“Our game brings people together and I want to make sure that’s at the forefront,” he added.
Irving’s remarks during the media conference with reporters on Thursday have escalated the controversy.
When asked if he was apologizing, he said, “I didn’t mean to cause any harm. I’m not the one who made the documentary.”
Asked if he was surprised by the backlash, Irving said: “I take full responsibility, and again I will, for posting something on my Instagram or Twitter that may have had some unfortunate falsehoods in it,” Irving replied.
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.”
Pressed further for a yes or no answer to a question about whether Irving held anti-Semitic beliefs, he replied: “I can’t be anti-Semitic if I know where I come from.”
When Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, learned how the NBA star answered this question, he emphasized that Irving has “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,” Greenblatt wrote.
After Irving was suspended Thursday, the ADL declined to accept a $500,000 donation previously announced by Irving and the Nets. The ADL’s decision to deny the donation came before Irving apologized late Thursday.
The star’s comments also drew disapproval from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who said he was “disappointed” with Irving.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a movie that contains deeply offensive anti-Semitic material,” Silver said in a statement before Irving apologized.
The controversy comes as anti-Semitism has risen in the US in recent years. At least 2,717 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in the US in 2021, up from 942 such incidents in 2015, according to the ADL.
Irving has faced controversy in recent years that has affected his playing time. Last season, Irving did not play in many of Brooklyn’s home games because he had not been vaccinated against Covid-19, which was a barrier to playing indoors due to New York’s workplace vaccination mandate. The rule was later lifted and returned to the Barclays Center in March.
