Kyrie Irving complained that the media doesn’t understand why he posted an antisemitic documentary while refusing to answer questions about it.
The Brooklyn Nets’ season is already going off the rails during the short first month of the NBA season. Brooklyn fell to 1-5 on Saturday by losing at home to the Indiana Pacers, 125-116, in a game they entered as a heavy favorite. The franchise’s turbulent offseason has given way to a disappointing start that now has Brooklyn is tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
There’s plenty to talk about when it comes to the on-court reasons for the Nets’ awful start, yet all the talk after the game was focused on something Kyrie Irving recently posted on social media. Irving posted an Amazon link to a film called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Twitter Thursday afternoon. The film (and the book of the same name) is filled with antisemitic rhetoric, as was detailed in Rolling Stone.
Following the loss to the Pacers, reporters in Brooklyn grilled Irving on what he tweeted. Find video of the combative back-and-forth here:
Nets Daily has a full transcription of Irving’s comments. Irving denied being antisemitic but failed to show an understanding for what exactly he was promoting by posting a link to the film. In addition to questioning Irving on his recent tweet, reporters also followed up on an old Alex Jones video Irving posted on Twitter over the summer. Jones was recently ordered to pay nearly $1 billion for lies told about the Sandy Hook tragedy. Irving said Jones’ comments about secret societies were “true,” which is not correct. Here’s a transcript, via Nets Daily:
Nick Friedell: Kyrie, while we’re on the topic of promotion, why did you decide to promote something that Alex Jones said?
Kyrie Irving: That was a few weeks ago, I do not stand with Alex Jones’s position, narrative, (the) court case that he had with Sandy Hook, or any of the kids that felt like they had to relive trauma or parents that had to relive trauma or to be dismissive to all the lives that were lost during that tragic event. My post was a post from Alex Jones that he did in the early nineties or late nineties about secret societies in America of a cult. And it’s true. So I wasn’t identifying with anything being a campaignist [sic] for Alex Jones or anything. I was just there to post. And it’s funny, and it’s actually hilarious because out of all the things I posted that day, that was the one post that everyone chose to see. It just goes back to the way our world is and works. I’m not here to complain about it, I just exist.
Irving’s beliefs are false and dangerous. He kept the conversation going on Twitter on Sunday.
Mom, thank you for naming me KYRIE. I am grateful you hid me from the world long enough until I was ready to overstand who I AM. My roots and ancestors lead me back to AFRAKA and I am damn proud to overstand all of the KNOWLEDGE that was left behind for Application. ♾
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) October 30, 2022
I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.
Hélà ♾
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) October 29, 2022
Reaction to Irving’s comments continued Saturday night and Sunday morning on Twitter. Here are some of the best tweets on Irving over the last 24 hours:
Kyrie is like most faux intellectuals. They don’t read, so their whole mantra is rooted in YouTube clips. They don’t explain the things they say because their attitude is based on the idea that they speak and others listen. They don’t want dialogue because they’re not good at it.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) October 30, 2022
Kyrie appoints himself a voice of the voiceless then takes offense and deflects and runs whenever asked to elaborate on his commentary. Dude is a joke. A clown. And hasn’t done a damn thing noteworthy on the court since 2016. Just a QAnon Monta Ellis at this point
— America Is Musty (@DragonflyJonez) October 30, 2022
It is absolute garbage that Kyrie Irving said “did I hurt anybody? Did I harm anybody?” in response to posting a link to an anti-Semitic movie. On his very large platform he led people to hate speech, which is psychologically harmful and can result in real violence
— Charlotte Wilder (@TheWilderThings) October 30, 2022
nets might as well start burning it down today. waive — yes — kyrie, trade durant and go from there. there is zero cause for optimism, and it’s not like this experiment is making them money. it’s a wrap.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) October 30, 2022
The impossible thing with people like Kyrie and all the other “free thinkers” is that any pushback to their nonsense, whether generally or from individuals, becomes evidence to them that they’re right. They’re just the enlightened few who have discovered truths no one else has.
— Zito (@_Zeets) October 29, 2022
Kyrie first proclaims:
“I’m in a unique position to have a level of influence on my community.”
Less than a minute later, Irving states: “I am no different than any other human being… You guys come in here and make up this powerful influence I have.”pic.twitter.com/ASrfcxjNJ0
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) October 30, 2022
Irving is having an incredible individual start to the season, averaging more than 30 points per game so far, but he keeps overshadowing his immense talent by spreading false and discriminatory anti-logic. Irving has a massive platform and a ton of devoted fans: what he says matters, and he has been spreading misinformation to a wide audience for years at this point.
Meanwhile, the Nets stink. This team was supposed to compete for a championship with Kevin Durant and Irving and Ben Simmons, but instead they’re one of the worst teams in the NBA so far. Brooklyn’s sinking ship and Irving’s troubling public behavior will be one of the season’s biggest stories all year.
