By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A week after Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving twitted a link to a film full of antisemitic rhetoric with his millions of followers on social media, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed his disappointment in a statement.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material. While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, 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. I will be meeting with Kyrie in person in the next week to discuss this situation.”
Irving shared a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” a purported documentary grounded in antisemitism, including baseless material from Adolf Hitler, “The Hidden Tyranny” and “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” The film’s director denies the Holocaust in a book he published under the same name.
Irving and the Nets had said Wednesday that they would each donate $500,000. Irving, the Nets, and the Anti-Defamation League released a joint statement announcing the donations Wednesday night.
“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Irving said in the statement. “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light.”