Kyrie Irving will officially return to the Brooklyn Nets from his eight-game suspension Sunday vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
The team suspended the seven-time All-Star on Nov. 3 for his posts linking to an antisemitic film, deeming the guard “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.” Irving addressed the media Sunday for the first time since receiving the suspension, offering his “deep apologies” and confirming that he is not antisemitic.
“I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that is going against the human race,” Kyrie Irving said via Sopan Deb. “I feel like we all should have an opportunity to speak for ourselves when things are assumed about us and I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions, because there was a way I should have handled all this and as I look back and reflect when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone that felt threatened or felt hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all.”
Irving's post of the film, Hebrews To Negroes: Wake Up Black America, drew an uproar in response over the last month due to its endorsement of several antisemitic tropes. This included statements from Nets owner Joe Tsai, the Anti-Defamation League, NBA league office, NBPA, Adam Silver and more. A group of Jewish Nets fans, some of which were season ticket holders, sat courtside at one of Brooklyn’s games wearing “Fight Antisemitism” shirts.
Irving had emphasized in previous press conferences that the “antisemitic label” that was being pushed on him was unjust. He elaborated on why he felt that way Sunday.
“I was rightfully defensive that there was an assumption that I could be antisemitic,” Kyrie Irving said. “Or that I meant to post the documentary to stand side by side with all the views of the documentary. How can you call somebody an antisemite when you don't know them? How can you call their family out on things that we don't have a track record of? I have no track record of anything like that. So for me to react that way, it was human. And I had to give myself some grace and give myself some time, to go back home and reflect.”
Following suspending Irving, Brooklyn outlined six steps for the guard to complete before being eligible to return. Those steps included a spoken apology condemning the film, a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes, sensitivity and antisemitic training, as well as meetings with the ADL, Jewish leaders, and Nets owner Joe Tsai.
The NBPA was vocal about their discomfort with the requirements. However, recent reports indicated that the NBPA has been working closely with Irving, the Nets, and the league office to help the guard remedy the situation.
“I should have clarified that I am not antisemitic and I am not anti anything when it comes to the way I live my life,” Irving said Sunday. “So the learning lesson for me was just the power of my platform and the impact that it can cause if it's not taken care of the right way. So meeting with different people within the Jewish community has offered me some clarity on a deeper understanding of what's going on and the impact that was made and the hurt that was caused.
“That's why I'm here apologizing. Because I felt it was necessary in my heart to extend the olive branch, the invitation, to let everyone know, not just in the Jewish community, but all races in our world, that I'm here to listen and I'm here to stand with you against any issues that may be plaguing your community. This fight is much bigger than myself, and I'm not alone in this.”
Irving said the process of speaking with many within the Jewish community, some of which are relatives of his, has allowed him to understand the harm his posts caused.
“I just started really digging deeper into my family and talking with those that are Jewish. And they felt hurt. And then I had some outside conversations with other Jewish individuals, and they were hurt as well,” he said. “It wasn’t that they thought I was antisemitic, but there were things in the documentary that they necessarily didn’t want to see or didn’t want to have attributed to the Jewish faith. So to be generalized in a society is one of the worst things we could do.”
The Nets released a statement Sunday following Kyrie Irving's press conference.
“Kyrie took ownership of his journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community. We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way,” they said.
Brooklyn posted a 5-3 record during Kyrie Irving's eight-game suspension. The guard averaged 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists in eight games to open the season. The Nets will look to build upon a hard-fought win over Portland when they return home from a four-game West Coast trip to host Memphis Sunday.
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