Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Two of the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on June 7, 2021 in New York City.
Steven Ryan | Getty Images
After Brooklyn Nets security guard Kyrie Irving promoted an anti-Semitic film and book on social media on Thursday, his team and team owner Joe Tsai issued statements on Friday condemning his actions.
“I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to be supporting a movie based on a book full of anti-Semitic misinformation,” Tsai said. wrote on Twitter. “I want to sit down and make sure he understands that this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith it is wrong to promote hatred based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
Irving posted a tweet Thursday linking to an Amazon page for the movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which is “full of anti-Semitic tropes,” according to a previous Rolling Stone report. The film was released in 2018 and is based on a 2015 book of the same name.
Irving has not publicly commented on his decision to promote the film.
“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and do not tolerate hate speech of any kind,” the team said in a statement Friday. “We believe that in these situations, our first action should be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), who have supported us during this time.”
Irving’s post follows a string of anti-Semitic comments made by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, in recent weeks. Adidas, Gap, Foot Locker and other organizations have since severed ties with Ye and cost him his billionaire status.
The Anti-Defamation League, StopAntisemism and the International legal forum applauded Adidas’ move on Tuesday.
Irving was benched by the Nets earlier in 2021 for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19. It’s unclear if his social media post will affect his ability to play.
The Nets play against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
