Nets' Kyrie Irving Says He's Not 'Anti-Jewish,' Apologizes 'Deeply' for Sharing Film

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving is set to make his return from an eight-game suspension on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ahead of his comeback, Irving spoke to SNY's Ian Begley and opened up about the events that led to his suspension. He expressed regret for sharing antisemitic material on social media and how he handled himself in interviews thereafter.

"I'm not antisemitic, I never have been. I don't have hate in my heart for the Jewish people, or anyone that identifies as a Jew. I'm not anti-Jewish or any of that," Irving said.

Irving went on to say that he understands the power of his voice and the influence that he has, but he's "no one's idol, but I am a human being that wants to make impact and change." He then went on to apologize directly to the Jewish community.

"I just think I really want to focus on the hurt that I caused or the impact that I made within the Jewish community, putting some type of threat, or assumed threat, on the Jewish community, I just want to apologize deeply for all my actions throughout the time that it's been since the post was first put up," he said.

Irving is referring to when he posted a link on Twitter to the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone wrote that the film is "stuffed with antisemitic tropes" and contains 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."

In ensuing press conferences, Irving pushed back against reporters when he was asked to address why he shared the link. A tipping point came when he met with the media and failed to disavow antisemitism, which led the Nets to suspend him. The 30-year-old apologized on Instagram shortly after the suspension was announced.

While speaking with Belgey, Irving explained his perspective and why he didn't denounce antisemitism when given the chance the first time:

"After the post came out and the press conference happened, I felt like I was protecting the truth, but all in all, I felt like I was protecting my character, and I reacted out of just pure defense and just hurt that I could be labeled, or I thought I was being labeled, as antisemitic or anti-Jewish, and I felt like that was just so disrespectful to ask me if I was antisemitic or not. Now, to the outside world, it may have been seen as a simple yes or no, which rightfully so, it should've been, 'No, I'm not antisemitic. No, I'm not anti-Jewish.' ... But it wasn't in that initial conversation, and I take my accountability and I want to apologize for that, because it came off the wrong way, completely."

Irving added that the situation was very much a learning experience for him, and he hopes others can learn from this as well:

"I just want to turn this crisis into a positive moment, for all of us. But more or less I use this as a positive moment, an enlightening moment for myself, because I did not realize how much impact it would cause, posting the link. I honestly am guilty of not knowing how powerful our platforms are, and because of that, there were just some more or less misinterpretations or misunderstandings that took place."

The Nets (7-9) have gone 5-3 while Irving has been suspended. Brooklyn is coming off a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night as it heads into Sunday's matchup against Memphis.