Kyrie Irving was unapologetic and defensive when it came to addressing his recent offensive social media posts following Saturday’s 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Brooklyn Nets guard was asked after the game about his recent promotion of a film titled “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black Amercia,” which contains several antisemitic tropes.
“I’m not here to argue over a person or a culture or a religion and what they believe,” Irving said, per ESPN. “Nah, this is what’s here. It’s on a public platform. Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody? Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people? So out of all of the judgment that people got for me posting, without talking to me, and then I respect what Joe [Tsai] said, but there has a lot to do with not ego or pride of how proud I am to be [of] African heritage, but also to be living as a free black man here in America, knowing the historical complexities for me to get here.
“So I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.”
Irving referenced Nets owner Joseph Tsai, who condemned the post as well. The NBA also issued a statement condemning hate speech but did not specifically mention Irving or what he posted.
Rolling Stone recently detailed the many antisemitic tropes that are peddled in the film, which includes that Jewish people are responsible for slavery and that “many famous high-ranking Jews” have “admitted” to “worshipping Satan or Lucifer.”
Irving was also asked about a social media post last month in which he shared a clip of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones promoting the idea of a “New World Order.”
Jones was recently ordered by a Connecticut court to pay the families of the Sandy Hook shooting almost $1 billion after losing a defamation case in which he falsely claimed they were “actors who faked the tragedy.”
“I do not stand with Alex Jones’ position, narrative, court case he had with Sandy Hook, or any of the kids that felt like they had to relive trauma, or parents that had to relive trauma,” Irving said. “Or to be dismissive to all the lives that were lost during that tragic event. My post was a post from Alex Jones that he did in the early ‘90s or late ‘90s about secret societies in America of occults. And it’s true.
“So I wasn’t identifying with anything of being a [campaigner] for Alex Jones or anything.”
Things then got contentious when a reporter followed up and continued to categorize his posts as “promotion.”
“Don’t dehumanize me up here,” Irving told the reporter. “I’m a human being. I can post whatever I want. So say that, shut it down and move on to the next question. … I don’t have to understand anything from you…move on…next question.”
Nets coach Steve Nash added that Irving has had conversations with members of the Nets organization but the link to the film on Amazon remains up on his Twitter feed, something YES Network commentator Richard Jefferson was critical of during the game.
“It is disappointing. Kyrie says he’s not antisemitic and these things, but the tweet is still up,” Jefferson said, per NY Post. “The tweet is still up there.
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