Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has drawn a strong response for his endorsement of a film and book that is widely considered antisemitic.
On Thursday, Irving posted a tweet and Instagram story that feature an Amazon link to the 2018 film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America”, which is based on a 2015 book with the same title. The posts led to widespread criticism, including a Rolling Stone article that details the film's antisemitic rhetoric. The article cited two reviews of the film that explain its controversial connection to the Black Hebrew Israelites:
“Both suggest Hebrews to Negroes espouse ideas in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism.”
https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1585704113433677829
Rolling Stone also drew a connection to the recent controversy surrounding rapper Kanye West:
“Irving’s ostensible promotion of Hebrews to Negroes comes at a moment when Black Hebrew Israelite thinking, and the antisemitism espoused by its most extreme sects, have been garnering more attention thanks to Kanye West. The rapper’s recent string of comments about Jewish people has been in line with extreme Black Hebrew Israelite thinking, such as his claim that ‘you guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda' and his assertion that he ‘actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also.'”
When asked for a comment on the situation, the Nets gave the following statement:
“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), who have been supportive during this time.”
Nets Owner Joe Tsai also voiced his disappointment in Irving's support of the film.
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
Tsai followed the Tweet with another saying, “This is bigger than basketball.”
This is not the first time Kyrie Irving has made a controversial social media post. In September, the seven-time All-Star reposted a video of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaking about a “New World Order”.
Brooklyn is off to a 1-4 start to the season with Irving averaging 29.6 points per game. The star guard has yet to comment on the pair of controversial social media posts. The Nets are set to host the Indiana Pacers Saturday.
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