In the wake of Kyrie Irving’s tweet promoting the antisemitic film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on his Twitter page, NBA commissioner Adam Silver denounced his refusal to apologize or acknowledge the film’s content. He also said he will meet with the Nets star next week.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Silver said in a release. “While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize. I will be meeting Kyrie in person next week to discuss the situation.”
The film Irving posted in a since-deleted tweet is based on a 2015 book of the same name and is “stuffed with antisemitic tropes,” per Rolling Stone. Irving doubled down on his tweet during a heated press conference Saturday, taking several jabs at reporters who asked questions about the tweet.
“Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody?” Irving asked reporters in regard to the tweet. “Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people?”
In a tweet defending himself, he said in part, “The ‘Anti-Semitic’ label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday.” The Nets, NBA and NBPA released statements condemning antisemitism following his tweet and subsequent comments. On Monday night during a game against the Pacers, a group of fans wearing “Fight Antisemitism” shirts and yarmulkes sat courtside. At one point, Irving acknowledged the group with a thumbs-up.
Finally, on Wednesday night, Irving and the Anti-Defamation League released a statement where the guard said, “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles.” He did not apologize for his tweet about the film or his subsequent comments.
The Nets organization plans to help “promote education” and combat hate speech by donating $500,000 to causes and organizations that work to fight hate speech. Irving also plans to donate $500,000 to these organizations, but clearly, Silver does not feel this is enough. The commissioner and the Nets both received backlash for not disciplining Irving for his comments.
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