MY ACCOUNT
NBA commissioner Adam Silver insists Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic after the pair met at the league’s headquarters in New York.
Silver held a meeting with 30-year-old Irving, with the Brooklyn Nets guard having faced a backlash for sharing a social media post about an allegedly antisemitic book and film a fortnight ago.
Silver, who is Jewish, had previously said he was disappointed Irving had not provided a “qualified apology” for the post, before the Nets suspended him for five games, with the player later apologizing.
“We had a direct and candid conversation,” Silver told The New York Times on Thursday. “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, who said there is “no doubt” Irving is not antisemitic, added: “Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
The NBA commissioner conceded that the whole episode had caused “enormous damage” to seven-time All-Star Irving, along with the Nets and the league.
The NBA and the Nets were criticized for not sanctioning Irving sooner, with the franchise-imposed ban coming one week after the original post.
“I feel that we got to the right outcome here in terms of his suspension,” Silver said. “In retrospect, we may have been able to get there faster. 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.”
Silver added that the Nets, in consultation with the NBA, will decide when Irving is free to return to the team, having been suspended indefinitely but for a minimum of five games.
That five-game span will elapse after the Nets’ next game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, which is followed by Sunday’s game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets are working with Irving on the terms of his return, which they have publicly shared, although Lakers star LeBron James weighed in on that on social media on Thursday, claiming his former teammate should be free to play having apologized. Silver declined to be drawn on James’ tweet.
