Kyrie Irving made national headlines again on Oct. 27 after he posted a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America,” a highly antisemitic film questioning the legitimacy of Jewish people.

Irving posted a screenshot of the film’s page on Amazon to his Instagram page without any context. 

On Oct. 30, after the Nets lost to the Indiana Pacers, Irving conducted an extended press conference. During the conference, Irving refused to denounce the contents of the film despite questions from reporters.

Jon Blistein, a writer for Rolling Stone, reviewed the documentary. 

“It’s those extremist sects [Black Hebrew Israelites] that have often parroted ‘classic’ antisemitic tropes, like claiming European Jews (often referred to as the ‘synagogue of Satan’) wield outsized control over society, especially in industries like banking and the media,” Blistein wrote.

“They’ve also pushed antisemitic claims that Jews are responsible for slavery and the ‘effeminizing of Black men.”

After significant media backlash, Irving and the Nets organization made a joint statement on Nov. 2, in which Irving pledged a $500,000 donation to the Anti-Defamation League.

However, the following day, Irving doubled down on his stance at a press conference originally intended to be an apology:

“I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone,” he said. “I have a whole army around me.”

Irving’s action forced the Nets to suspend him for a minimum of five games. He apologized on an Instagram post later in the night.

As usual, Irving’s situation caused controversy on social media and among basketball fans.

Some people, like Asad Sykes, felt the suspension was an apt punishment.

“If he’s antisemitic,” said the Hampton University sophomore, “if he’s a problem in the locker room, if he’s destroying his own career, then those are his choices. How many times will he be able to make these standoffish decisions before the Nets pull the plug?”

Sykes hopes that the suspension will change Irving’s perspective on his career.

“If Kyrie Irving never played professional basketball, we wouldn’t care what he has to say. He has to evaluate what he really wants and what he’s willing to sacrifice.”

While Sykes seemed more critical of Irving’s choices, fellow student and classmate Trevor Whitaker focused his attention to the media’s coverage.

“It was poor judgement on Kyrie’s part to post that without context. However, we have to hold all professional athletes to the same standard: Brett Favre shouldn’t be in any commercials, Ben Roethlisberger shouldn’t be considered for the Hall of Fame, and Deshaun Watson shouldn’t play another down in his career.”

Whereas Sykes and Whitaker agreed with and understood Irving’s suspension, Miami Heat fan Justin Guy didn’t see the issue with his actions.

“I don’t agree with Kyrie’s suspension,” he said. “I think he should have given some context to his post because people will normally assume the worst if they are ignorant on a certain subject. I think that people should actually watch the documentary to understand before trying to shame Kyrie who clearly said that he respects all people.”

Since his suspension, the Brooklyn Nets have given Irving a list of steps to complete to return to play.

Shams Charania, reporter for The Athletic, listed the items Irving needed to accomplish: apologizing and condemning the movie; a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes; sensitivity and antisemitic training; meeting with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish leaders; meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding.

Whitaker considered the additional requirements for Irving’s return too excessive.

“What have we made Brett Favre do?” he said. “What have we made Ben Roethlisberger do? What have we made Deshaun Watson do? Those examples may all be from football, but the media needs to treat all these situations with the same accountability.”

Kyrie Irving’s tenure in Brooklyn has been marred with controversy since he joined the team in 2019. Immediately after arriving, Irving stated the team needed another star alongside himself and Kevin Durant, despite not having played with any of his new Nets teammates.

In his second season, he stated that the team could coach itself after hiring first-time head coach Steve Nash.

Last season, Irving played only 29 regular season games because of his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. 

The Nets briefly considered trading him over the summer, but now are committed to realizing the team’s full potential.