Kyrie Irving will go down in history as one of the best point guards of his generation. A player with unlimited talent, Irving has the ability to take over a game and lead his team to victory. He is a true floor general who makes everyone around him better.
Irving is one of the most gifted scorers the game has ever seen. He can get to the basket at will and finish with either hand. His jump shot is lethal, and he always seems to make the big shot when it matters most. Kyrie is also an excellent playmaker, capable of finding open teammates with ease.
But Irving is also well known for being a controversial and complicated character who, at any time, can do something that defies common sense.
Some of the best examples of Irving’s eccentricities are his declarations that the earth is flat or all the drama of last year for giving up the covid vaccine that cost him not being able to play many games in New York.
The latest in Irving’s long list of controversies
The support he showed on social media for a book and movie with anti-Semitic content. The material promotes beliefs commonly found among antisemitic and extremist factions of the BHI movement, including claims that modern Jews are imposters who stole the religious heritage of Black people and have engaged in a “cover-up” to prevent Black people from knowing their “true” identity.
Irving’s post received an immediate response from the Nets and the NBA itself, who distanced themselves from the player’s ideas. Also, the owners of the Nets, Joe and Clara Tsai, showed their disappointment with Irving’s messages.
Since Kyrie Irving made the post, he has been in the eye of the storm. Some people have come to his defense, saying that he was taken out of context or that he was stating his beliefs. However, others have criticized him for his words, calling them insensitive and offensive.
When asked by a journalist about the affair, he replied: “All this makes me stronger because I have an army by my side. Have I done something illegal? Have I insulted someone? I will never give up anything I believe in”.
Public relations to the rescue of Kyrie Irving
Despite distancing themselves from the player’s statements, the Nets have had to make a great display of public relations to save the image of the player and the team itself.
Through a statement published on the Nets’ social networks, it was announced that both the player and the NBA franchise would donate $500,000 to causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate speech and intolerance in different communities.
In addition, Irving and the Nets will work with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to develop an educational program to combat any form of anti-Semitism.
Finally, the Nets, the New York Liberty, and other organizations associated with the teams will have conversations at the Barclays Center in conjunction with the ADL to raise awareness and educate on issues of hate based on race, ethnicity, and religion.
The damage is done
Despite the franchise’s efforts to downplay the issue and try to whitewash the player’s image, the damage is done.
Criticism and disapproval of Irving have come from many quarters.
The NBA Players Association (NBAP), with a statement emphasizing the message: “Anti-Semitism has no place in our society.”
Fans at the Nets’ final game at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center wore T-shirts with the message’ Fight Anti-Semitism’. The group of fans later reported that the Australian addressed them with a “thank you for the support” in a more than sarcastic tone.
Nike, one of Irving’s sponsors, also disagreed with the controversial player’s message: “At Nike, we believe there is no room for hate speech, and we condemn any form of anti-Semitism.”