Nets tell Kyrie Irving to meet with Jewish leaders before returning from ban

Kyrie Irving’s belated apology over a tweet deemed to be anti-Semitic is a ‘step in the right direction’ Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday, but not yet enough to end the star point guard’s minimum five-game suspension.

Marks addressed reporters at morning shootaround in Washington ahead of Friday’s game against the Wizards. The Nets executive and former San Antonio Spurs player suspended Irving on Thursday night for at least five games. The All-Star point guard will not be reinstated until he ‘satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct,’ according to a team statement.

Irving, who has been criticized for failing to apologize for last week’s inflammatory tweet, finally said he was sorry in a statement on Thursday, but only after he got his minimum five-game ban from the Nets.

While Marks considers the apology to be a good first step, the New Zealander stressed that he hopes to see Irving meet with Jewish leaders before he can return.

‘Actions speak louder than words,’ Marks told reporters Friday. ‘So he’s had some time, and there will be more time to reflect on this.’

‘There is going to be some remedial steps and measures that are put in place for him to, honestly, seek some counselling, designated by the team, from dealing with some anti hate and some Jewish leaders within our community,’ Marks continued. ‘He’s gonna have to sit down with them, he’s gonna have to sit down with the organization afterwards. Ands we’ll evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back.’

Marks also said he has not considered releasing Irving.

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Kyrie Irving’s belated apology over a tweet deemed to be anti-Semitic is a ‘step’ Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday, but not yet enough to end the star point guard’s minimum five-game suspension

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Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press conference before an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday

Irving ignited controversy last by tweeting a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.’ The movie is based on a 2015 book by the same name, which Rolling Stone described as ‘venomously anti-Semitic.’ Specifically, it quotes Hitler to convince the audience about the existence of a Jewish plan for world domination.

Since posting the Amazon link to the film on Twitter, Irving has quarreled with media, telling reporters ‘I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in.’ He then appeared to backtrack on Sunday by deleting the post without an explanation.

But after days of competing statements from Irving, the Nets, team owner Joe Tsai, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the club suspended the All-Star for a minimum of five games.

Furthermore, the Anti-Defamation league rejected a proposed $500,000 donation from Irving, saying he ‘feels no accountability for his actions.’

Although Irving has denied promoting the film, ‘Hebrews to Negroes’ has skyrocketed in popularity since last week’s Twitter post. The film is currently Amazon’s top seller in Ethnic Studies, and alternate versions or sequels currently hold six of the next 10 spots on that list, according to Front Office Sports. 

Marks’ comments on Friday cap a grueling week for the Nets executive, who dismissed head coach Steve Nash on Monday amid the team’s 2-5 start. Marks is reportedly considering former Nets assistant and suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as a replacement. Udoka has been banned for the 2022-23 season in Boston over an alleged, improper affair with a team staffer. 

Nets star Kevin Durant expressed frustration with the situation to reporters on Friday. 

‘I’m not here to judge somebody or talk down on the life or how they feel their views,’ Durant said. ‘I just didn’t like anything that went on. I felt like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization.’ 

Durant later clarified his comments on Twitter following some backlash among fans who found his quote lacking. 

‘Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround,’ Durant wrote. ‘I see some people are confused..I don’t condone hate speech or anti-semetism (sic), I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront.’

Kevin Durant expressed frustration with the situation to reporters on Friday. He later clarified his comments on Twitter following some backlash among fans who found his quote lacking

The Anti-Defamation league rejected a proposed $500,000 donation from Irving, saying he ‘feels no accountability for his actions’

KYRIE IRVING’S TWEET SPARKS INTEREST IN ‘ANTI-SEMITIC’ FILM 

Although Irving has denied promoting the film, ‘Hebrews to Negroes’ has skyrocketed in popularity since last week’s Twitter post. The documentary is currently Amazon’s top seller in Ethnic Studies, and alternate versions or sequels held six of the next 10 spots on that list as of Friday, according to Front Office Sports.

The Brooklyn Nets star caught the attention for publicizing the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ on social media with a link to its Amazon page

Irving finally apologized late Thursday night for linking to the film on Twitter. In an Instagram statement, Irving said: ‘To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize.

‘I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.

‘I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.’

The Nets released an angry and frustrated statement earlier on Thursday night, saying the decision to suspend Irving stemmed from his ongoing lack of apology, the latest of refusal coming after a disastrous media appearance on Thursday.

‘We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games,’ the Nets statement read in part.

‘We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify.

‘Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.’

Fans sat courtside at Monday’s Nets game wearing T-shirts reading ‘Fight anti-Semitism’