Many former players and others around the NBA were critical of current players not speaking out on Kyrie Irving's promotion of an anti-Semitic film, and his repeated refusals to firmly apologize, but former teammate LeBron James spoke out after Friday's Lakers game.
"It doesn't matter what color your skin is, how tall you are, what position you're in – if you are promoting or soliciting, or saying harmful things to any community that harm people, then I don't respect it," James said. "I don't condone it.
"It's simple. Me, personally, I don't condone any hate to any kinds, any race, to Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand. I believe what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people. He has since…apologized. But he caused some harm, and I think it's unfortunate. I don't stand on the position to harm people when it comes to your voice or your platform or anything."
Irving is now serving a minimum five-game suspension, the latest controversy around the stay point guard who was rumored to be a candidate to reunite with James in Los Angeles this past summer, but he returned to Brooklyn, where his immediate future with the franchise is now up in the air.
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