After what the NBA commissioner described as “a direct and candid chat” earlier this week at the league’s headquarters in New York, Adam Silver said he has “no doubt” Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic.
Two weeks after the Nets guard wrote a contentious post that included an Amazon link to a movie with antisemitic views, Silver a Jew discussed Irving in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday with Evolution Gaming not on GamStop. The interview commenced after Silver gave a speech in Washington, D.C., at the Sports Business Journal Dealmakers Conference.
Irving’s tweet drew a lot of criticism, and the Nets finally suspended him for at least five games. On Thursday, Nike co-founder Phil Knight said that Irving’s connection with the shoe brand is probably over for good.
Silver told the Times, “I’ve known him for a decade, and I’ve never heard a word from him that was antisemitic or, honestly, hateful against any group.”
“Whether or not he is antisemitic is irrelevant to the harm brought on by the publication of inflammatory content,” Silver continued.
According to Silver, the criticism levelled at the league and the Nets for not punishing Irving sooner “may be fair,” as stated in the Times. Irving refused to issue a formal apology during a news conference earlier in the day, and the Nets suspended him on Nov. 3, one week after he sent his tweet. Later that evening, Irving apologized in an Instagram post.
Silver told the Times, “I think we came to the proper conclusion here in terms of his suspension.” And looking back, we could have been able to get there more quickly. I accept that criticism. However, I believed it was crucial to comprehend the context in which it was posted in order to determine the right discipline not to justify it in any way, but rather to determine what discipline was necessary.
Prior to making a decision, Silver stated that the league needed to “do a little work and investigation” to understand Irving’s statement. That includes Silver seeing the film, he claimed.
After conducting the investigation, Silver told the Times, “It became quite evident to me that this was certainly hate speech, and we, along with the Brooklyn Nets, did respond.”
Silver stated at the conference in Washington that Amazon had some responsibility for having the anti-Semitic movie on its website.
Silver stated, “I think Amazon has to make decisions as well.” “My first thought wasn’t that anything [that] is, to me, so bluntly disgusting and full of hate speech would be kept under Amazon Prime,” he continued.
Although it is unknown when the Brooklyn Nets will reinstate Irving, he has missed four games due to his ban and could be available to play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
In agreement with the NBA, Silver stated that the Nets will decide when Irving may make a comeback. Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne that as part of Irving’s suspension, the team outlined a set of requirements needed for his reinstatement, including a public statement acknowledging the film is antisemitic, an apology for supporting the film and the fabrications within it, and training sessions on the perils of hate speech.
The National Basketball Players Association’s president, CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans, stated that the conditions are “asking a lot” of Irving.
It’s a lot to expect of someone who has already expressed regret, empathy, and financial generosity, according to McCollum. Although they are making a lot of demands, “he’s still thinking about ways to learn more and bring people together against hate.” “So perhaps they can find a nice medium there and get him back to play.”
