The Kyrie Irving drama continues to grow, and many people from Hall of Famers to commentators to fans have weighed in on it. Finally, N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver revealed something about Nets guard Kyrie Irving.
The New York Times claims that NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke with banned Brooklyn Nets forward Kyrie Irving earlier this week and came to the conclusion that Irving is not antisemitic.
The Jewish Silver told the Times that they had a “straight and open chat” at the league’s offices in New York.
“He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antisemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group,” Silver stated.
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Silver continued his conversation with the publication by saying, “Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
In response to Irving’s insistence on informing his millions of followers about an antisemitic movie he had seen on Amazon, the Nets suspended him last week. Following news of his ban, the NBA player, posted an apology on Instagram.
Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022
Silver acknowledged the criticism the NBA experienced for not banning Irving sooner and said the discipline “came to the correct result,” despite the NBA not issuing its own suspension.
“And in retrospect, we may have been able to get there faster,” Silver stated. “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.”
The New york times reported that the NBA commissioner attended his first appearance on the show since the incident at a conference in Washington, DC on Thursday when he spoke about the issue. Silver informed the crowd that Amazon shared part of the blame for the movie being available on the platform.
