Kyrie Irving may have just put his NBA career in jeopardy amid his most recent scandal. The Brooklyn Nets star has already apologized for pushing an antisemitic film on Twitter, but it is clear that his team wants more than just a simple apology from him in order to possibly put this whole issue to bed.
In case you didn’t know, Kyrie actually holds the position of executive committee member of the NBA Players’ Association. NBPA president CJ McCollum has already previously condemned Irving’s antisemitic links, and the New Orleans Pelicans star has now provided a critical update on Kyrie’s current stature with the union.
“We’ve had a lot of engagement on this matter throughout the week and we feel that it’s best to step back and give thoughtful consideration before acting,” McCollum said, via Jared Weiss and William Guillory The Athletic.
Garrett Temple, who himself is also an executive committee member of the NBPA also criticized the Nets point guard for his actions but also implied that his apology may have gone a long way in terms of his position with the NBPA.
“First of all, we condemn any antisemitism or discrimination of any kind, any kind of hate speech. Kyrie went on his (Instagram) page and apologized. He had a proper apology, in my opinion,” Temple said. “He’s been accountable for his actions. At the end of the day, we’re going to let it take its course. We’re going to make sure everybody knows we don’t stand for any hate speech at all, no matter which way it goes.”
McCollum also offered his support for Irving as he talked up the Nets star’s efforts to be an agent for social change:
“I know Kyrie personally, I know that he’s not racist, I know that he’s not against any people,” McCollum said. “In general, he’s been a beacon of light and has continued to figure out ways to provide not only educational opportunities, but also resources for people from all walks of life.”
Both McCollum and Temple, however, seem to be aligned in their opinion regarding Kyrie Irving’s NBPA future. At this point, they are not willing to make any hasty decisions:
“We haven’t decided yet. We’re going to have our people talk and think about everything,” Temple said. “I think that apology from Kyrie should go a long way, in my personal opinion. He held himself accountable, which I think was important for people to hear. We condemn the problematic stuff that was in the (book/movie). But we stand behind our brother. People make mistakes, and I think he’s ready to face the consequences.”
“We’re different from his employer or business partner. I think for us as a union, we have duties and responsibilities to all of our members, regardless of circumstances or situations that may occur,” McCollum said. “In this particular instance of (a) situation, Kyrie was elected in 2020 and it was a three-year term and that’s the extent of where we’re at with that.”
There’s no denying that Kyrie’s actions put the NBPA in a very tough spot. As a union, they are required to support the players in these types of situations. However, the Nets guard’s actions have been highly controversial, to say the least, which will put the NBPA under heavy criticism if they choose to back him amid this most recent scandal.
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