Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, stated on Friday that he is “disappointed” by Kyrie Irving’s apparent backing for a film “based on a book filled with antisemitic falsehoods.”
Thursday, the starting point guard for the Nets tweeted a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” According to the film’s Amazon synopsis, it “reveals the true identity of the Children of Israel.” The movie’s synopsis states that audiences will “see what Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have concealed for ages regarding the genuine biblical identity of the so-called ‘Negro’.”
According to Rolling Stone, the film based on the 2015 book alleges that “many prominent Jews” have “confessed” to “worship[ing] Satan or Lucifer.”
Tsai and the Nets reacted swiftly to the latest controversy stirred up by Irving, who had previously endorsed the theory that the Earth is flat and last month on social media shared an old tape from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Tsai remarked on Twitter about Irving, “I want to sit down and make sure he realizes that this is terrible to all of us, and that as a religious man, it is unacceptable to promote hatred based on race, nationality, or religion.
Irving missed the majority of Nets home games last season due to his refusal to comply with New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement. Irving could be in his final season with the Nets after the franchise declined to offer him a contract extension this summer.
“The Brooklyn Nets have zero tolerance for any sort of hate speech,” the team declared in a statement. “We feel that our first move in these circumstances must be an open and honest discourse. We thank all who have been supportive during this period, including the ADL.”
Irving’s tweet comes as Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, continues to receive criticism for his antisemitic remarks made earlier this month.