Comment Nike announced late Friday that it had suspended its relationship with NBA star Kyrie Irving, the latest fallout after the basketball player shared an anti-Semitic video on social media and for days refused to apologize or renounce anti-Semitism. “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn all forms of anti-Semitism,” the company said in a statement. “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.” The Kyrie 8 shoe was set to release this month, according to industry reports. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone,” Nike said. The rebuke from Nike comes a day after the Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving for at least five games without pay, saying he is “not currently fit to be associated” with the organization after sharing an anti-Semitic film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” on social media. The Nets said Irving will be suspended “until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful effects of his conduct.” “We were disappointed today, when given the opportunity in a media interview, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs, nor to acknowledge specific hateful material in the film,” the Nets said in a statement Thursday after his appearance Irving in a news story. conference. “It wasn’t the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify.” Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the news conference a “loss,” adding that the ADL could not “in good conscience” accept the $500,000 Irving had agreed to donate to anti-hate causes the previous year day. Irving refused for days to acknowledge or apologize for the anti-Semitism before writing on Instagram late Thursday that he “posted a Documentary that contained certain false anti-Semitic statements, narratives and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion.” He said he took “full responsibility and accountability for my actions”, adding: “To all Jewish families and communities who were hurt and affected by my position, I am deeply sorry for the pain I caused you and I apologize.” He said he “initially reacted with emotion to 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.” Irving has a history of controversy. He was outspoken about his refusal to get a coronavirus vaccine and New York’s vaccination mandate. The tiff led to the Nets firing Irving for more than two months last season. Irving said at the time that it was “not a political issue here” but “about my life and what I choose to do.” The Nets, consumed by Irving’s controversial behavior and mired in a slow start this season, recently parted ways with coach Steve Nash. Irving’s suspension from the Nets and clash with Nike comes after Adidas cut ties with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, after he repeatedly made anti-Semitic comments on social media. Experts have warned of increasingly brazen anti-Semitism at a time when incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence against Jews are at their highest levels in decades. Ben Golliver contributed to this report.
