Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving continued his double down on Thursday by saying it’s not possible he could be antisemitic. “I can’t be antisemitic if I know where I came from,” he said repeatedly in a press conference. “I don’t know how the label becomes justified.” Irving promoted an antisemitic film on his Twitter last week, which has since been denounced by Nets owner Joe Tsai and NBA Comissioner Adam Silver. Irving’s latest claim follows in Kanye West’s footsteps, sidestepping hateful rhetoric with confusing claims that such rhetoric is protected. Earlier Thursday, Silver said he plans to meet with Irving over his concern that Irving hasn’t apologized or properly denounced “the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize.”
