Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Criticizes Kyrie Irving for Promotion of Antisemitic Film

Basketball Hall of Famer, author and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the latest public figure to condemn Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving in the wake of his posts promoting an antisemitic film, defending his positions and refusing to apologize for his actions in the ensuing days.

"Honestly, there's little hope that [Irving] will change because he's insulated by fame and money and surrounded by yes-people," Abdul-Jabbar wrote on his Substack. "There is no motivation to learn how to distinguish propaganda from facts. All that’s left is for the world to decide how it should respond to him."

Irving has since been suspended by the Nets for at least five games without pay.

A host of public figures have taken Irving to task, including Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.

In talks with reporters since the post, Irving has not apologized nor explicitly stated that he does not hold antisemitic beliefs.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also expressed his disappointment in Irving. He called his actions "reckless" and noted that he planned to meet with him soon.

As for Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time scoring leader wrote that Irving "has been defiant" about his post.

"You can read his long, rambling, at times contradictory defense here," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "Mostly he reveals his lack of awareness of how history works. It’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet from which you can pluck just the dishes you like without any understanding of the context."

Irving is in his 12th NBA season and fourth with the Nets. He serves as one of seven vice presidents for the NBPA, which also put out a statement condemning hate speech without specifically naming Irving.