Adam Silver Says He Had a 'Direct and Candid' Conversation With Nets' Kyrie Irving

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday in an interview with Sopan Deb of the New York Times that he had a "direct and candid conversation" with Kyrie Irving this week after the Brooklyn Nets point guard shared an antisemitic film on social media last month.

"He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antisemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group," Silver said, also noting that he does not believe Irving is antisemitic.

The commissioner added in a follow-up phone interview: "Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content."

Silver did not delve any further into the details of his meeting with Irving, telling the New York Times that he agreed to keep his conversation with the 30-year-old private.

Last month, Irving promoted the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on social media. According to a Rolling Stone article by Jon Blistein, the film contains ideas "in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites," including antisemitism.

The Nets announced Nov. 3 that they had suspended Irving for at least five games after he "refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs" while answering questions about his promotion of the film from the media on numerous occasions.

After Irving's suspension was announced, he released an apology on his Instagram account:

"While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.

"To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am."

Last Saturday, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania detailed six items that Irving must complete to return to the team, which include issuing an apology in addition to a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes, sensitivity training, antisemitic training, meeting with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish leaders and a demonstration of understanding to Nets owner Joe Tsai.

It's unclear if Irving will meet all of those terms to return to the court. A number of NBA stars believe his punishment is excessive, including LeBron James.

"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information," James said, per TMZ Sports. "And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized, and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple."

In addition, the NBA Players Association is expected to appeal Irving's suspension, per NBPA vice president and Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

"I’m expecting the NBPA to appeal the suspension from Brooklyn. The terms, etc., that went into his return. The terms for his return, they seem like a lot, and a lot of the players expressed discomfort with the terms," Brown told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

If Irving were to serve the minimum five games, he would be eligible to return to the Nets' lineup on Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers.