Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is learning firsthand that while he could freely say or put his name behind whatever cause aligns with his view of the world, he is not free from the consequences of his actions. The Nets suspended Irving for five games after his staunch refusal to give an apology for his apparent support of a documentary spewing anti-Semitic views, and he has come under fire from a lot involved in the NBA community, from legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to commissioner Adam Silver, and to Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
And now, Irving has suffered yet another repercussion from his careless tweet after Nike jettisoned the 30-year old point guard, “suspending its relationship with” the embattled Nets star “effective immediately” and as a result, they “will no longer launch his new Kyrie 8” that was scheduled for wide release later this month.
Of course, this sent Twitter into a frenzy, prompting the ever-contentious platform to spew their polarizing views regarding Kyrie Irving. Some felt like Irving was extremely hard done by the step Nike took to distance themselves from the Nets guard, while some felt that the footwear/athletic wear company took a huge win and was well-justified in what seems to be at first glance an extremely drastic move.
“Oh no, a millionaire is being deprived more millions.”
— jack (@itsjackrobert) November 5, 2022
https://twitter.com/MasterSage_/status/1588690622336360449?s=20&t=zgSeYkdQZPW5tHzql3F6yg
They doing kyrie so wrong
— CL (@christianlaza23) November 5, 2022
Irving posted a comprehensive apology for his actions yesterday on his Instagram account, saying that he is taking “full accountability” for having caused the Jewish community pain with him being oblivious at first to the implications of his tweet. Nonetheless, Nike still came up with the decision that it was best for them to cease all relations with Irving, which led some fans to wonder what the 2016 NBA champion must do to make amends.
Kyrie issued a long apology yesterday and Nike STILL decides to suspend him ?!
— William Carter (@DCWilliamCarter) November 5, 2022
Alas, Nike is a private entity, and they are entitled to make decisions they deem is best for them in the long run, the same way Kyrie Irving has the freedom to support a film with questionable ideologies and factuality. Freedom from consequences is an entirely different thing. Thus, some fans were perplexed, especially after many Twitter users seem to not understand this simple equation.
Kyrie is an employee of a private company. They chose to punish him for his actions. He is not being cancelled.
Amazon is a company. If you think they should be punished for hosting the documentary, you are welcome to boycott them.
Why do so many of y'all not get this?— Dr. Something or other. (@matthieuchapman) November 5, 2022
you can think the consequences for kyrie's actions are excessive but that doesn't negate the fact that posting that garbage ass film was stupid, and then TRIPLING down on it as well. how the companies associated with him choose to deal with it is their decision ¯_(ツ)_/¯
— dij (@DijahSB) November 5, 2022
I personally believe Kyrie made a dumb ass decision and is dealing with consequences. But apparently I’m crazy for thinking so
— Kwon💲🍀 (@KwonDFS) November 5, 2022
Irving's relationship with Nike was frayed to begin with, after the 30-year old guard chastised Nike for excluding him in the design process of what was to be the Kyrie 8 then (the shoe was renamed Kyrie Infinity), going as far as calling the design “trash”. And earlier this year, ESPN reported that the shoe company was unlikely to extend Irving's deal beyond the 2022-23 season. Still, the decision to part ways now in light of recent events is still groundbreaking, and is sure to spur divisive reactions from all sides.