The Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving has finally apologized to Jewish families and communities hours after being suspended for posting about a documentary containing antisemitic statements on Twitter.
Taking to Instagram early Friday morning, Irving said he initially reacted “out of emotion” and that he believed he was “being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic” after he promoted a virulently hateful film on social media.
He said that instead he should have spent his time “focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.”
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“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” he said.
“While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions,” Irving wrote, saying he was “grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge” and that “I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.”
The Brooklyn Nets announced earlier Thursday night that the star point guard had been suspended from the team for at least five games without pay, following his failure to “say he has no antisemitic beliefs” after he promoted a virulently hateful film on social media.
The suspension came hours after he doubled down on a refusal to apologize after tweeting a link to the 2018 movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Saying that he was “not the one that made the documentary” and that he took “full responsibility” for his post, Irving argued in a press conference, “I can’t be antisemitic if I know where I came from. I don’t know how the label becomes justified.”
Asked directly if he harbored antisemitic beliefs, Irving replied, “I respect all walks of life. I embrace all walks of life. That’s where I sit.”
In his Instagram post, Irving said he wanted to “clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti-semticism (sic).”
Instead of apologizing point blank, Irving said he was “apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with.
“I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.”
In their earlier statement, the Nets said team officials had made “repeated attempts” to get Irving to understand the impact and harm he had recurrently caused since last week.
“We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film,” it continued. “This was not the first time he had the opportunity—but failed—to clarify.”
Mere minutes before Irving’s Thursday press conference, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, calling himself “disappointed,” said he planned to meet with the player “in the next week” over “the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize.”
A day earlier, Irving had announced—in a joint statement with the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League—that he would be giving $500,000 to a unclear number of unspecified organizations fighting “to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.” In the statement, Irving was quoted as saying, “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.”
About an hour after the Nets’ Thursday statement suspending Irving, the ADL’s chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, took to Twitter to call the suspension “well-deserved.”
“We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions,” Greenblatt said, adding that the organization could no longer “in good conscience” accept Irving’s donation.
The 30-year-old had previously clashed with an ESPN reporter over the tweet. At a Saturday postgame press conference, he snapped, “Can you please stop calling it promotion? Don’t dehumanize me up here... I can post whatever I want.”
He quietly deleted the post in question the next day.
“Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team,” the Nets’ Thursday statement continued. “Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
This is the second season in a row in which Irving has netted a suspension for himself. He was sidelined last year over his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, missing 35 home games before New York Mayor Eric Adams’ lifting of the vaccine mandate brought him back to the Barclays Center. (He continued playing with the team on the road.)
Irving’s current suspension means he will miss matchups against the Washington Wizards, the New York Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks, among others. The last Nets-Mavericks game was a season high point for Irving, who scored a personal best of 39 points, though the Mavericks won 129-125 in overtime.
The Nets are currently 2-6.
The earliest Irving could be back on the court is Nov. 12, provided he satisfies an unspecified “series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct,” according to the Nets.
