Last year I wrote an article about Kyrie Irving and how the NBA didn’t allow him to play because he refused to get vaccinated. Irving still plays for the Brooklyn Nets and recently has been struggling to stay out of the media after facing backlash for supporting an antisemitic film.

While Irving was able to play the 2022-2023 season starting this past October, he was suspended indefinitely due to his actions in the media. Nike also suspended their relationship with Irving.

On October 27, 2022, Irving tweeted a link to a documentary, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” that supported anti-Semitic views. The documentary is based on a book from 2015 that contains spiteful and incorrect information about Jewish people. The film, created by Ronald Dalton Jr., includes denial of the Holocausts and international Jewish conspiracy. Irving didn’t put any comment to go along with the post. This created backlash from many people especially in the basketball industry.

On October 28, he owner of the Nets, Joe Tsai, wrote a tweet targeting Irving that said, “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book filled with anti-Semitic disinformation.”

In response to all the backlash, Irving writes in a tweet, “I am an OMNIST (person who believes in all faiths or creeds) and I mean no disrespect in anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.”

Irving did receive a consequence for his unintentional actions. On November 3 the Nets made the executive decision to suspend Irving for a minimum of 5 games without pay. Just a day after they publicized that they would be donating $500,000 to organizations that put an end to hate and intolerance in communities.

Irving eventually apolized on a Nov. 3 Instragram post: “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.”

Irving was reinstated and played in the last several Nets games.