On Friday night, Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, released a statement Friday night criticizing guard Kyrie Irving for praising an antisemitic film and book on his social media accounts.
In a tweet, Tsai expressed her displeasure at Kyrie’s apparent endorsement of the film adaptation of a book full of antisemitic lies. It is terrible for a man of faith to preach hate based on race, nationality, or religion, and I want to have a conversation with him to make sure he understands how damaging this is to all of us.
Irving tweeted on Saturday that he is not anti-Semitic and that he did not mean any disrespect while making those comments.
On Saturday night, the NBA issued a statement condemning racism and all forms of bigotry in their various forms.
The NBA has issued a statement saying, “Hate speech of any type is unacceptable and runs contrary to the NBA‘s principles of equality, inclusion, and respect.” We will keep working with the entire NBA family to make sure everyone knows how their words and deeds affect others: “We think we all have a part to play in making sure that these words or ideas, especially those that are antisemitic, are challenged and opposed.”
I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022
In an article published on Friday, Rolling Stone noted that Irving had endorsed a film called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which is “packed with antisemitic tropes.”
Irving tweeted on Thursday with a direct link to the film’s Amazon page. The movie, which came out in 2018, was based on the same-named book, which came out in 2015.
The Brooklyn Nets “strongly reject and have no tolerance for the promotion of any sort of hate speech,” the team stated in a statement on Friday. “To us, the first course of action in such circumstances is forthright communication. For their solidarity at this time, we are grateful to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). ”
I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. 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. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.
Hélà🤞🏾♾
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) October 29, 2022
While he has yet to comment on the decision to promote the book and movie, Irving was there for Saturday’s shootaround and is scheduled to meet with the media following the game against the Indiana Pacers.
Joe Harris, a guard for the Nets, said he is “not aware” of the issues being raised about Irving. Harris reported that Irving seemed unfazed during Saturday’s walk-through, saying, “business as usual.”
Before their home game on Saturday night against the Pacers, head coach Steve Nash said that he supports the team’s statement and doesn’t think the situation will be a distraction for his players.
“I don’t think the situation has had much of an impact on our group. So many things have happened to us in the last two and a half years that I feel like we’ve developed some sort of immunity to them. ” According to what Nash had to say. “I don’t think our guys have a good grasp of the subject either. The team has made a strong statement about their values, and you’ll be able to hear from Kyrie when it’s his chance to speak, but until then, I think the players are trying to concentrate on the game. “
