After making antisemitic remarks, Kyrie Irving is suspended for five games by the Brooklyn Nets. Over this time span, he won’t earn pay. Here’s the details of the suspension, as well as an overview of Irving’s career.
Antisemitic Remarks
The main point of contention in the banning of Kyrie was his supporting of a film with antisemitic messages. The Nets organization gave him multiple chances to publicly apologize. When asked if he had antisemitic beliefs, he stated: “I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.” Eventually, these actions led to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver delivering a public statement expressing his disappointment.
According to Shams Charania, Irving must meet each of six requirements to return to the team. Among these requirements are attending antisemitic training, meeting with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and publicly condemning the film. Irving and the Nets pledged $500,000 to the ADL, but after Irving butchered a press conference, the ADL stated that they won’t be accepting the donation.
NBA Players Speak Out
Several NBA players have spoken out about Kyrie’s actions. New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum stated that “The important thing to learn about this situation is you have a platform. You have to be careful with how you use it.”
The NBA’s only Jewish player, Deni Avdija, had words for Kyrie. Though the Washington Wizards forward stated that “You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want,” he also had a more serious message: “I think there needs to be consequences for the actions that a player [does]. I don’t know the punishment that the league gives, but I think that needs to be known that there’s no room for words like that.”
Kyrie Irving’s Career
Kyrie has been in the news for non-basketball related events before. Back in 2018, he had to apologize for speaking about the Earth being flat. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kyrie has missed many games for refusing to get vaccinated.
Other than these bumps, Irving’s career has been impressive. The seven time All Star averages 23.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 5.7 assists per game over his career. He won an NBA championship back in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James.
It’s clear that Kyrie Irving is a significant part of the Nets team. Hopefully he’ll apologize, clear this incident up, and return to the roster soon.
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Featured image courtesy of Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
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