On October 29th, the internet was shocked by the swirling accusations of Kyrie Irving supporting antisemitic comments made in a 2018 film streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Antisemitism is hostility to, or prejudice against Jewish people. Kyrie Irving has been put in the spotlight in the weeks that have followed.
Over the past 11 years, many basketball fans have loved and looked up to seven time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving. Irving was drafted as the first overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, and has proved his capabilities since then, being one of the most dominant players in the league. Irving has one championship ring that he earned in 2016 when playing for the Cavaliers. In 2017, he joined the Boston Celtics for two years before leaving shortly after to play for the Brooklyn Nets where he still remains.
So, what exactly led to the suspension of Kyrie Irving? It all started with a twitter post he made on October 27th. Irving posted a link to the 2018 film “Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” The film focuses on proving a theory that black people are the seed of the biblical Isrealites– in the process debunking the reality of the Holocaust and pushing other antisemitic beliefs.
Originally, in a press conference post game interview on October 29th, Irving responded to the public by explaining that he was not promoting all beliefs in the film, but instead sharing another perspective of history. Irving states, “What I post does not mean that I support everything being said.” The interview with the reporter ended with Irving walking off, as he asked for the subject to be changed back to the Pacers game he had just played– which the reporter was not willing to do.
On October 30th, the twitter post was deleted; the following day people were spotted sitting courtside at the Nets game wearing “Fight Antisemitism” t-shirts.
Last week, The Brooklyn Nets announced a donation of $500,000 from both their franchise and Irving personally, towards organizations that actively work to combat hate in communities.The Nets also made a separate instagram post expressing their sympathy towards those who were hurt by Kyrie Iriving’s post and comments, making it clear they do not tolerate hate speech; therefore suspending him indefinitely.
On the same day, Irving posted an apology where he took accountability for his potential influence on the public, and denounced antisemitism.
Since then, the Nets have come up with six necessaries for Kyrie Irving to complete before his suspension potentially comes to an end. Those items include: condemning the film, a $500,000 donation, meeting with Jewish leaders, meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, and completing sensitivity and antisemitic trainings. There are many reactions that have been seen on the internet. Some people feel as though Kyrie Irving is being wrongfully suspended, while others are still bothered by his questionable affiliation with the film.
Irving has been known, particularly over the last few years, for making his opinions public and being sure that his actions are in alignment. In a separate incident, in 2021 due to the outbreak of COVID-19, players were required to get vaccinated as a part of an eligibility requirement to play.
Kyrie Irving made it clear that he did not agree with the vaccine and refused to get it, which resulted in him missing out on many games during last season. He has demonstrated that he is not afraid to stand for what he believes in, and he wishes his decisions and thoughts would be viewed and judged as any everyday citizen with freedom of speech.
The big question that has been racking the public’s brains is where do the Nets and specifically Kyrie Irving go from here? The Nets have been very active on social media lately in response to the situation. Though the franchise had just let their former head coach Steve Nash go, the Irving story has been pushed towards the front of the media’s coverage. Many fans are wondering why this is, and question the fairness of the league in this situation.
I believe the issue here is less about this specific situation with Irving and more about training athletes to realize the power their words have, and how to handle their opinions once they are affiliated with the National Basketball Association.
In Irving’s interview, I found it interesting that he harped on being just another person. Irving states, “I am no different than the next human being so don’t treat me any different.” While biologically that is true, it is important for players to recognize that the attention and scrutiny of every part of their lives is what they are signing up for along with playing basketball.
That doesn’t take away how challenging it is to have your every word and move in the spotlight. Their voices carry weight, both on and off the court and with great power comes great responsibility– yes, a Spider-Man adage is fitting here.
Though many athletes have used their platform formally in a positive manner– such as promoting the Black Lives Matter movement, encouraging the public to vote, and standing by Brittney Griner against her unjust incarceration– their casual posts and comments are still being dissected by the public eye.
The point that needs to be emphasized by the NBA in their training, is that freedom of speech does not mean players won’t receive backlash for their opinions. In this situation, Kyrie Irving says he was not promoting the movie and simply posted the link because he agreed with certain parts of the film.
The misunderstanding is that the media will push a narrative as they see fit– if the material is provided. How to combat this, would be to not give the media a leg to stand on in partaking in any social media engagement or conversations without thinking of the consequences first. If Irving had posted the link to the film but added text to it, condemning the questionable theories while emphasizing the perspectives he thought were important– things may have turned out differently.
I believe that with Kyrie Irving completing the items the Brooklyn Nets have proposed as well as partaking in future challenging conversations he will need to have with the press, he will be eligible to play again. The media is not going to change their approach from seeking negative headlines on account of players wanting to exercise their freedom of speech. Being carefully trained on the dos and don’ts of social media as well as press interviews is what the NBA and the Brooklyn Nets should be focusing their attention on.
