The National Basketball Association and the Brooklyn Nets are facing backlash for not disciplining Nets guard Kyrie Irving after he tweeted a link to a film that critics say promotes antisemitic tropes.
Last Thursday, Irving tweeted a link to the 2018 movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Amazon Prime Video. The synopsis states that the film, based on a 2015 book of the same name, “uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.” Several Jewish rights organizations, including the American Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League, have denounced the film as antisemitic.
The Nets and the NBA have since released statements denouncing Irving’s tweet and maintaining their intolerance for antisemitism and any form of hate speech.
Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a tweet Saturday he wants to “sit down” with Irving and ensure he understands “it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
The NBA similarly said it intends to continue working with all members of the NBA community to “ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions.”
However, former athletes and Jewish leaders argue the team and the league need to go a step further, calling for them to hold Irving accountable through disciplinary measures.
“I think that the Nets should have suspended him,” Jack Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress, told ABC News. “They’re part of the problem, and they need to take action.”
Representatives for Irving, the NBA and Brooklyn Nets did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comments.
Several former professional basketball players, including Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, have also spoken out on the controversy, denouncing Irving’s tweet. Barkley stated he believes Irving should be suspended, citing past precedent.
Then-Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo was suspended in 2015 after directing an anti-gay slur at an NBA referee. Last year, the Miami Heat’s Meyers Leonard received a $50,000 fine and was suspended for one week after making an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream while playing video games.
Irving’s teammate Kevin Durant was also fined last year for his use of homophobic and misogynistic language in Twitter messages to actor Michael Rapaport.
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving gives a thumbs up towards fans wearing shirts with the phrase “fight antisemitism” during the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Oct. 31, 2022.
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
“We’ve suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs. And that was the right thing to do. If you insult the Black community, you should be suspended or fined heavily,” Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”
“When you’re somebody as great at basketball as him, people are going to listen to what you say. I blame the NBA, he should have been suspended,” Barkley added.
Asked why Irving hasn’t been disciplined for his tweet, Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters: “I think we are having these discussions behind the scenes. I honestly don’t want to really get into those right now…Really just trying to weigh out exactly what the best course of action is here.”
The Anti-Defamation League, a New York-based Jewish civil rights organization, initially applauded the NBA and the Nets via Twitter “for responding quickly to condemn the promotion of #antisemitic hate speech.”
However, ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, who said he has been in ongoing conversations with the NBA, said Irving’s unwillingness to apologize and take accountability indicates more needs to be done.
“He plays in Brooklyn, which has one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States of America. To a fan base, where a large portion of them are Jewish, to insult them to question their identities,” Greenblatt told ABC News. “He hasn’t acknowledged the pain that he caused.”
Greenblatt said he wants to engage Irving on the matter.
“I think its more ignorance, not intention. But that doesn’t diminish his accountability,” he added. “We need an ongoing process of discussion and dialogue. And I’m hoping that will happen.”
Irving has since deleted his original tweet but continues to defend his right to share the link.
“I’m not going to stand down on anything I believe in,” Irving said during Saturday’s postgame press conference “I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.”
He noted that he is “not a divisive person when it comes to religion” and embraces “all walks of life.”
“Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody?” he added. “Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people?”
He confirmed he watched the film but denied endorsing it and said he shared the link after finding the movie during an internet search.
