Kyrie Irving Takes Responsibility for Antisemitic Post; PG, Nets to Donate $500K Each

The Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving and the Anti-Defamation League released a joint statement on Wednesday following Irving's social media posts containing a link to an antisemitic film last week.

The statement included a pledge by the Nets and Irving to donate $500,000 each to "causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities."

Irving provided a statement:

"I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day. I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light."

Irving shared a link to the 2018 film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, a "purported documentary" that is "stuffed with antisemitic tropes," falsehoods and "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," per Rolling Stone's Jon Blistein.

Irving was not contrite when discussing his posts during a contentious postgame press conference Saturday.

"Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody, did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people?" he said to reporters. "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."

Nets governor Joe Tsai decried Irving's decision, however:

And Irving wasn't made available to reporters after Monday's 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Neither the Nets or the NBA have taken disciplinary action against Irving, which raised some eyebrows around the NBA community.

"I think he should have been suspended him," Charles Barkley said during Monday's Inside the NBA. "I think Adam [Silver] should have suspended him."

"I think the NBA, they made a mistake," he added. "We've suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs. And that was the right thing to do. If you insult the Black community, you should be suspended or fined heavily."