Controversial NBA star Kyrie Irving was handed a suspension by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, on Thursday, November 3, following an antisemitism row where the 30-year-old defended his decision repeatedly.
The controversy began in October when he posted the link to a documentary on Twitter, which has been lambasted for its antisemitic nature. The Nets star soon became the subject of widespread criticism, however, he decided to defend his decision.
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As per the Nets, they urged Irving repeatedly to “understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate.” However, they ended up suspending him after their attempts bore no fruit. Let’s take a look at a timeline of Kyrie Irving’s antisemitism controversy.
October 27
Irving tweeted the link to an Amazon documentary named that has been criticised for its antisemitic nature, named Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The tweet resulted in widespread criticism by the Jewish and Black communities all across the world.
The NBA star’s Twitter handle had more than 4 million followers when he posted the link.
October 28
The Rolling Stone magazine, reports on the documentary film’s antisemitic nature around 3 pm EST. This resulted in the 30-year-old athlete’s tweet coming to the fore.
As per the Rolling Stone article, the documentary has claimed that famous and high-ranking members of the Jewish community worship Satan and the holocaust was a hoax.
October 28
Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai tweets a statement condemning the previous tweet by Kyrie Irving. Tsai’s tweet was posted around 11 pm local time.
“I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion,” the tweet read.
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October 29
The Nets star justifies his tweet saying that he is an omnist. He also claimed that the antisemitic label that has been pushed on him does not reflect the reality of him. The tweet was posted at 11 am.
October 29
The NBA issues a statement, responding to Irving’s tweet. However, it did not name the Nets’ star but referred to antisemitism. The statement was released at 6:30 pm.
“We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring such words or ideas, including antisemitic ones, are challenged and refuted and we will continue working with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions,” the statement said.
October 29
Following the Brooklyn Nets’ defeat against the Indiana Pacers, Irving goes on to claim that he did not promote the film with his tweet in a post-game interview. He also said that he was free to post whatever he wanted.
October 30
The Brooklyn Nets star succumbs to pressure from teams, fans, media and former players and goes on to delete the controversial tweet.
October 31
Popular American singer Kanye West posted a photo of the Nets star on Instagram. West is finding himself in another antisemitic controversy and captioned the photo, “There’s some real ones still here.” The post was made at 11 am.
October 31
The National Basketball Players Association releases a statement on the Nets star on Twitter. Irving is also the vice president of the body’s executive committee.
“The NBPA is focused on creating an environment where everyone is accepted. We are committed to helping players fully understand that certain words can lead to hateful ideologies being spread. We will continue to work on identifying and combating all hate speech whenever it arises,” it read.
October 31
Eight fans belonging to the Jewish community in the United States attend a Nets’ game wearing shirts which had ‘Fight Antisemitism’ written on it.
November 2
The Brooklyn Nets, along with Irving and ADL, announce $500,000 donations by the team and the player, funding educational programmes.
Irving also said that he was against hatred and oppression in the same announcement but did not apologize or condemn the documentary.
“I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility,” the 30-year-old said. “I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles,” he added.
November 3
Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, said he was disappointed that the Nets’ star did not apologize for posting the link. Silver is a member of the Jewish community himself.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” he said.
“I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize,” he added.
November 3
In a news conference, the Nets star said that just because he posted the link to the film, it does not mean that he is antisemitic.
“I didn’t mean to cause any harm. I’m not the one that made the documentary,” he added.
November 3
The Brooklyn Nets announced that they have suspended Irving for at least five games. The NBA outfit also posted a statement on Twitter.
“We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games,” the statement read.
