Kyrie Irving Takes Responsibility for Promoting Antisemitic Film, but Stops Short of Apologizing

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets announced Wednesday that they each will give $500,000 to organizations in an effort to “eradicate hate and intolerance,” seven days after the NBA star advanced an antisemitic film on social media. In a statement connected to the $1 million donation, Irving, 30, perceived the harmful nature of his post — in which he shared a link promoting a 2018 film based on the 2014 book Jews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America — yet didn’t through and through apologize.

“I go against all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with networks that are marginalized and impacted consistently,” Irving said in a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Nets. “I’m aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish people group and I take responsibility. I don’t really accept that everything said in the documentary was valid or mirrors my morals and principles. I’m a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to would so with an open care and a willingness to listen.”

Irving wrapped his statement by adding that he “meant no harm to any one gathering, race or religion of individuals” and that he wishes to be a “beacon of truth and light.”

The film, originally composed as a book by Ronald Dalton in 2014, contains antisemitic figures of speech and generalizations, according to Rolling Stone, including outrageous perspectives on Black Hebrew Israelites, who argue that Black individuals are the only obvious descendants of ancient Israelites.

The Southern Neediness Law Center reports that the Radical Hebrew Israelites “perpetuate the antisemitic conviction that ‘supposed’ Jews have taken their character and ‘inheritance,’ ” while the Anti-Defamation League noticed that the Black Israelite Development is separated into organizations that “operate semi-independently,” and not all are antisemitic.

Joint statement from Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Anti-Defamation League pic.twitter.com/5szamIClsh

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 2, 2022

Kyrie recently shared on Twitter that he “meant no disrespect to anyone’s strict convictions” by sharing the post. “The ‘Anti-Semitic’ label that is being pushed on me is not legitimized and doesn’t mirror the reality or truth I live in everyday,” he composed. “I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions. Hélà🤞🏾♾”

Along with the donation, the Nets will have local area conversations at the Barclays Center with social equality organizations, including the ADL, whose President Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement that “antisemitism has reached historic levels.” “With this partnership, ADL will work with the Nets and Kyrie to open dialog and increase understanding,” Greenblatt said.

The Nets organization recently shared its disapproval of Irving’s promotion of the film, with team proprietor Joe Tsai tweeting that he was disappointed.

Fans did as such as well, with some wearing “battle antisemitism” shirts as they sat courtside at a Nets game on Monday night. Irving has since erased the tweet.

“I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to help a film based on a book loaded with antisemitic disinformation,” Tsai said in a pair of tweets. “I want to plunk down and make sure he understands this is destructive to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to advance hate based on race, nationality or religion. This is bigger than basketball.”

Others like Charles Barkley have also offered criticisms, with the NBA legend saying on Inside the NBA that he thinks Irving “ought to have been suspended” after he advanced the film. He told co-has Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, “the NBA made a mistake” in not suspending him. He added that the star should be more responsible with his platform as a major athlete.

“We have suspended individuals and fined individuals who have made homophobic slurs, and that was the correct thing to do,” Barkley said.