NBA: Brooklyn Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving Without Pay for Social Media Post About Antisemitic Film

NBA star Kyrie Irving is in hot water for posting a link to an antisemitic work on social media. His team, Brooklyn Nets, has decided to suspend their point guard for at least five games without pay for not apologizing for sharing the link.

In a statement on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets management said they made "repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions."

However, they were dismayed that Irving "refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film" during a media appearance earlier in the day. The Nets said this was not the first time that the NBA star had the opportunity to clarify the issue.

"Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets," the management noted.

The Nets said Irving must satisfy "a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" to end the suspension.

Irving told reporters on Thursday that he did not make the documentary and some things in it were untrue, NBA reported. He added that he meant no harm in posting the link on his Twitter feed, which he has since deleted.

However, he did not say he should not have posted the link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" or apologize for sharing it. When asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs during the press conference, the NBA star said: "I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from."

Irving noted that he was proud to say that he was not going to stand down and that this has "nothing to do with dismissing any other race or group people."

"I'm just proud of my heritage and what we've been through. And the fact that this has pinned me against the Jewish community and I'm here answering questions on whether or not I'm sorry or not for something I didn't create and it's something I shared and I'm telling everybody I'm taking responsibility, then that's where I sit," he added.

On Saturday, Irving pushed back against the backlash he had received instead of apologizing for sharing the link.

"Did I do anything illegal? Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people? It's on Amazon, a public platform, whether you want to go watch it or not, is up to you. There's things being posted every day. I'm no different than the next human being, so don't treat me any different," the NBA star noted.

Kyrie Irving Donates to Anti-Defamation League, But His Offer Was Rejected

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets announced on Wednesday that they would each be donating $500,000 to anti-hate causes and organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he felt Irving should do more.

In a statement on Thursday, Silver noted that while he appreciated the fact that Irving agreed to work with the Nets and the ADL to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, he was disappointed that the NBA star did not offer an apology and failed to denounce "the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize."

As for the ADL, its CEO Jonathan Greenblatt welcomed the suspension, and he believed Irving deserved it. He added that they will not accept the $500,000 donation Kyrie Irving planned to give to the anti-hate organization.

NBA Players, Legends, and Owners React to Kyrie Irving's Antisemitic Post

Yahoo! News reported that Kyrie Irving received universal condemnation for sharing the said link. One of the people who first criticized him was Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai, who said he was disappointed with Irving.

NBA legends Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal referred to Irving as an "idiot" during TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Tuesday.

Amar'e Stoudemire, who previously coached Irving for two seasons as a Nets assistant, said the NBA star needs to apologize. Stoudemire converted to Judaism in 2020.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Robin Lopez and Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are also among those criticizing the Brooklyn Nets star.

In his lengthy blog, Abdul-Jabbar, a civil rights icon himself, even discussed the problem of antisemitism, which he said: "Is much bigger than Irving or Ye [Kanye West]."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: 'I Think He Should Have Been Suspended' | Inside The NBA Crew Reacts to Kyrie Irving - From NBA on TNT