By Doron Finkel ‘24 Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving has fallen under immense criticism for expressing and promoting antisemitism. On October 27th, 2022, Irving tweeted the link to a film called "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America," a movie filled with antisemitic stereotypes and propaganda, including outlandish claims that the Holocaust never happened. Immediately, both the Anti-Defamation League and Brooklyn Nets called on Amazon to remove (or at least reassess) the controversial film and corresponding book; both works were created to incite hostility towards the Jewish people and, after being promoted on Irving's massive platform, will only continue to cause further harm.
“While Kyrie is an all time great basketball player, he must also realize that what he says can be taken as gospel,” said Mr. Stern. “It was simply an irresponsible choice for him to promote such a film.” Rolling Stone magazine became the first outlet to report on the content contained within the film, which they claimed to be “stuffed with antisemitic tropes.” Brooklyn Nets owner, Joe Tsai, also addressed the issue on Twitter, where he condemned Irving’s decision to promote such antisemitic content on his social media accounts. Tsai emphasized that the situation was “bigger than basketball” and expressed immense disappointment in Irving's apparent support of content full of antisemitic disinformation. “It hurts,” said GOA basketball coach and Roadrunners founder, Sandy Pyonin, who trained Irving at the YMCA for four years when Irving was a teenager. “There is no excuse for what he did. He is a bright kid who should have read up on what he was promoting.” The National Basketball Association (NBA) also released a statement condemning all forms of hate speech but failed to mention Irving by name. Similarly, the Players Association, of which Irving is vice-president, only issued a vague statement decrying any forms of antisemitism. “Accountability is key, and I think that we, as a society, must do a better job acknowledging Irving’s faults,” said sophomore Jesse Schiffman. “If groups like the NBA Players Association do not call out Irving by name, then it could set a bad precedent for other athletes moving forward.” Irving finally addressed his controversial posts for the first time two days later, following a home game against the Indiana Pacers. In a contentious news conference, Irving seemingly defended his support for the film, stating that “history is not supposed to be hidden from anybody,” while also adding that he would not back down from his beliefs. Irving also accused ESPN reporter Nick Freidell of trying to “dehumanize” him while they argued whether Irving had “promoted” the film by posting it to his social media. As a result, the Nets did not make Irving available to reporters for the next two games. On November 2nd, Irving announced that he and the Nets would each donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes. In a joint statement with the Nets and Anti-Defamation League, Irving stated that he is “aware of the negative impact of my post on the Jewish community, and...[does] not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects [his] morals and principles.” “I do not think Kyrie feels bad at all,” said junior (and diehard Nets fan) Ari Komorovski. “I am not sure I can truly look up to him as a role model anymore.” By November 3rd, Irving had still failed to offer a clear apology and had not specified which aspects of the film he disagreed with. As a result, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly announced plans to meet with Irving to discuss the ramifications of the situation, expressing disappointment in Irving's refusal to issue an apology or explicitly denounce the film's harmful content. Following a practice, Irving told reporters that he never intended to cause harm and that he respected all walks of life; however, when asked if he held any antisemitic beliefs, Irving failed to provide a clear answer. The Brooklyn Nets finally decided to suspend Irving for at least five games, stating that his failure to condemn the antisemitic content of the film was deeply disturbing and detrimental to the team and organization. Nets general manager Sean Marks outlined specific requirements that Irving would need to accomplish before returning to the team, such as meeting with Jewish community leaders, undergoing counseling, and meeting with the team's front office. Nevertheless, some NBA players expressed discomfort regarding the terms of Irving's suspension, with one board member of the NBA players' union stating that while Irving had made a mistake, he was not antisemitic. Following his suspension, Irving took to Instagram, where he issued an apology stating that he did not intend to promote hate or disrespect Jewish cultural history related to the Holocaust. Furthermore, he expressed remorse for causing pain to countless Jewish families and communities. Irving also apologized for his failure to immediately address the harm caused to Jewish people by the hateful remarks and messages in the documentary. Such an apology was not enough for Nike, who terminated its relationship with him the next day (while also announcing it would not release Irving's next signature shoe). In a public statement, Nike declared that it does not tolerate hate speech and condemned any forms of antisemitism. The company expressed sadness and disappointment over the situation and its impact on all parties. Nike had been producing Irving's signature shoe line since 2014, and Irving had become one of the faces of their industry. “I used to feel proud wearing Kyrie’s shoes on the court,” said Varsity Basketball player junior Joey Askin. “Now, as a Jew, it feels disgraceful to represent his products and certainly his beliefs.” Comments are closed.
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EditorsArielle Karni Archives
December 2024
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