Kyrie Irving of the NBA and the Brooklyn Nets will each donate $500,000 to anti-hate organizations, they announced in a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday. The announcement follows Irving’s controversial tweet from last week, in which he appeared to support an antisemitic documentary film.
Irving, 30, wrote in the statement, “I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand firmly with communities that are marginalized and affected daily.”
Irving added that he was “I am conscious of the negative impact my position has had on the Jewish community and I accept responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary to be true or consistent with my morals and values.”
The two contributions will go to “causes and organizations that work to eradicate hatred and intolerance in our communities,” according to a news release issued on Wednesday.
Irving posted a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on October 27. According to the Amazon plot summary, the 2018 film “reveals the true identity of the Children of Israel.”
The video is packed with Jewish conspiracy ideas, such as bogus assertions that Jews ruled the slave trade.
The next day, Nets owner Joe Tsai tweeted that he was “disappointed” that Irving appeared to favor a film “based on a book filled with anti-Semitic misinformation.”
Tsai wrote, “I want to sit down with him and make sure he understands that this is hurtful to all of us and that, as a religious man, it is wrong to promote hatred based on race, ethnicity, or religion.”
The tweet was criticized by the whole NBA community. However, during a news conference following a game on October 29, a feisty Irving maintained his right to post whatever he believes.
Irving stated to reporters, “I will not back down from whatever I believe in.” “I will only get stronger because I am not alone. A massive army surrounds me.”
On Monday, fans wearing t-shirts reading “Fight Antisemitism” sat courtside at a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers.
Irving has not faced any disciplinary punishment as of Wednesday. Meyers Leonard, a reserve center for the Miami Heat, was fined $50,000 and suspended for an anti-Semitic remark last year.
Charles Barkley, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, stated on TNT on Tuesday that the NBA “dropped the ball” by allowing Irving to continue playing.
“I believe he ought to have been suspended. I believe that NBA commissioner Adam Silver should have suspended him.” Barkley said.
Irving has previously advocated the notion that the Earth is flat, recently retweeted an old footage from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and missed the most of the Nets’ home games last season because he refused to comply with New York City’s compulsory COVID-19 vaccination requirement.