NBA Commissioner Adam Silver does not believe that Kyrie Irving, the troubled Brooklyn Nets’ guard, is antisemitic.
Interview with the New York Times Silver talked briefly about his meeting with Irving this week at the NBA’s office in Manhattan. Following a series of events, Irving promoted a film containing anti-semitic themes and then refused to apologize in a meaningful manner. Irving has been suspended and must complete six steps of repentance before he can return to his position.
“We had a direct and candid conversation,”Silver stated.“He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an anti-semitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group.”
Silver, however, was also added. “Whether or not he is anti-semitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
Silver spoke to The Times shortly after speaking at a conference, his first public appearance in public since the Irving incident. Silver declined to discuss the conversation with Irving and cited an agreement to keep their conversations private.
At the conference, the commissioner stated that Amazon was responsible for hosting the film on its site.
“I think Amazon has to make decisions as well,”Silver said. Later, he added: “My first instinct wasn’t that something, to me, that is so frankly vile and full of hate speech would be contained within Amazon Prime.”
Silver claimed at the event that the post on social media had done “enormous damage”Irving and “potentially”Thank you to the league and the team.
Amazon was urged to remove the open letter by more than 200 entertainment industry figures on Thursday. “Hebrews to Negroes”Irving promoted Irving’s film, and the book it is based from.
“I feel that we got to the right outcome here in terms of his suspension,”Silver stated. “And in retrospect, we may have been able to get there faster. I accept that criticism. But I felt it was important to understand the context in which it was posted to understand what discipline was appropriate, not in any way to excuse it but to understand what discipline was appropriate.”
Irving will be allowed to return to the team when Irving is chosen by the Nets “in consultation with the league,”Silver stated.
But some players are starting to wonder if Irving’s punishment was too harsh. LeBron James is a Lakers forward.
“I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information,”James stated this in a tweet on Thursday. “And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play, That’s what I think. It’s that simple. Help him learn — but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive.”
James said about Irving “He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him.”