Following the Brooklyn Nets’ suspension of their star point guard Kyrie Irving for a minimum of five games without pay, the controversial athlete has now been dropped by Nike with his next sneaker release also canceled to that effect.
Kyrie Irving has come under immense criticism over the past week following a post he made on his social media.
The Brooklyn Nets star posted a link to an antisemitic propaganda film that reiterates talking points from the Black Hebrew Israelites, which is listed as an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
To that effect, the Brooklyn Nets have been forced to suspend their star point guard for a minimum of five games without pay.
And not only that, but his sneaker sponsor Nike has also now cut ties with the NBA star as well as cancelled the upcoming release of their next collaboration – Kyrie 8 signature shoe, a long-in-development product that was scheduled for launch this month.
Nike released a statement that read, “We believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.” as per Reuters.
The sportswear giants have now followed in the footsteps of Adidas who had also dropped controversial hip hop star and fashion mogul Kanye West over antisemitic claims last month.
‘Ye’ as he’s fondly called had accused Adidas of stealing his designs as well and had made some controversial remarks in his interviews while speaking about the brand.
Adidas announced they were conducting a « thorough evaluation » of the relationship, only for them to declare on October 25 that its collaboration with Ye was over and that they would no longer sell Yeezy or pay any money to Kanye and his companies.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” they said in a statement.
A host of other brands had also followed suit in cutting ties with the American rapper and now Kyrie Irving could also be in danger of losing further existing deals.
Kyrie Irving Antisemitism controversy
The controversy actually began last week when Irving posted a link to an antisemitic propaganda film that promoted talking points from the Black Hebrew Israelites, which is listed as an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Supporters of the group were reportedly responsible for the 2019 shooting spree at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, New Jersey that killed three people.
The film and the book it is based upon recycle a number of historical untruths and Jewish conspiracy theories, some dating back to the long-debunked antisemitic fiction The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as well as fake quotes from former Nazi leader – Adolf Hitler.
Following instant outrage on social media, Irving deleted the initial tweet, but remained skeptical about issuing an apology during multiple interviews.
He was also heavily criticized by fellow basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.
However, former Brooklyn Nets coach Amar’e Stoudemire (who happens to be Jewish) said he understood that Irving is curious and seeks out new sources of information, but added, “once you starting putting information out there that’s not true, then now it creates a problem.” as per NJ.
Charles Barkley who is a popular American former professional basketball player and a television analyst on TNT also urged NBA commissioner Adam Silver to take action.
Although Irving himself and the Nets organization have pledged to donate $500,000 each to ‘toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in the communities,’ the athlete’s refusal to flatly renounce antisemitism during follow-up interviews eventually led the Nets to suspend him from the team temporarily without pay on Thursday.
Kyrie Irving issues Apology on social media
However, on Friday, November 6, 2022, Irving uploaded a black square image to his official Instagram and included a lengthy caption that read, in part, that he took “full accountability and responsibly for my actions.” He wrote,While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.
« 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 want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. 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. KYRIE Hélà «
This is not the first time Kyrie has come under the knife for his opinions on social media and it looked like it was only a matter of time before Nike decided to withdraw a little, anyway.
An April 2021 report said Irving’s deal with Nike earned him $11 million the previous year, and called his shoes the second-most popular among fellow NBA players.
That same year, he called an early look at some new Irving-branded shoes and labelled them as “trash” on social media.
Also, he had previously refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, putting himself and his associates in the NBA at risk.
However, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nets have set six conditions the 30-year-old Melbourne native must meet to get back into the game as he’s also set to miss their next four games.
The requirements are as follows:
- 1. Issue an apology for posting a link to the movie on Oct. 27, condemn the harmful and false content and make clear that he does not have anti-Jewish beliefs.
- 2. Complete the anti-hate causes that Irving, the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League agreed upon in their joint release on Nov. 2 — including a $500,000 donation toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in communities.
- 3. Complete sensitivity training created by the Nets.
- 4. Complete antisemitic/anti-hate training designed by the Nets
- 5. Meet with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, as well as Jewish community leaders in Brooklyn
- 6. After completing 1 to 5, meet with owner Joe Tsai and lead franchise officials and demonstrate the lessons learned and that the gravity of the harm caused in the situation is understood, and provide assurances that this type of behavior will not be repeated.
This is likely the final move for Brooklyn on this matter, but it remains unknown when (or if) Kyrie plans to meet the conditions of his return.
Pulse
