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Kyrie Irving is acknowledging the hurt he caused the Jewish community when he promoted a movie containing antisemitic ideas, saying he “meant no harm” … and to prove he’s serious, the NBA star says he’ll donate $500K to fight hate.
The 30-year-old Brooklyn Nets star Tweeted a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!” last week … and despite almost immediate backlash, Irving refused to back down, standing by his actions.
Two days after posting a link to an antisemitic film (that’s still up), here’s Kyrie Irving:
– Claiming that posting a link to something isn’t promoting it 🤔
– Playing the victim
– Accusing a journalist of “dehumanizing” him by simply asking about itpic.twitter.com/qGdDVO7awA
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) October 30, 2022
@kendallbaker
That is until Wednesday evening … when the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie released a statement apologizing and announcing the large monetary donation.
“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Kyrie said.
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Kyrie Irving Pushes Back on Antisemitic Labels After Promoting Movie
“I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles.”
The 7x NBA All-Star continued … “I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light.”
Worth noting — Kyrie does not flat-out say “I’m sorry,” or, “I apologize” … which has some people saying his statement and donation isn’t enough.
Irving stopped short of completely condemning the ideas in the movie … but it’s certainly a big departure from his previous position.
Prior to tonight’s announcement, Irving was getting destroyed everywhere from on TV, to social media, and even at Barclays. In fact, a group of fans protested Kyrie earlier this week … wearing shirts that read “FIGHT ANTISEMITISM.”
Brooklyn is home to one of the country’s largest Jewish populations.
As for the money, the Nets are also chipping in 500 grand … bringing the total to $1 million. The organization says they’ll divide the cash among “causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.”
The team also says they’ll work with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — which fights antisemitism — to “develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry.”