ESPN host Stephen A. Smith launched a tirade during Friday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;First Take,&#8221; agreeing with LeBron James and saying that a suspension of &#8220;at least five games&#8221; for Brooklyn Nets guard <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/fans-deliver-silent-court-side-fight-anti-semitism-protest-to-nets-star-kyrie-irving/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> was &#8220;excessive.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.mediaite.com/sports/stephen-a-smith-compares-kyrie-irvings-suspension-to-a-knee-on-his-neck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smith</a> took the assessment a bit further, however, saying that the suspension — which came about because Irving tweeted a clip from a film rife with <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/brooklyn-nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-after-he-refuses-to-apologize-for-tweeting-anti-semitic-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-semitic tropes</a> (&#8220;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&#8221;) — was akin to people &#8220;trying to put their knee and keep their knee on Kyrie’s neck.&#8221;
Irving initially refused to apologize, which led to the suspension, but offered an <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/kyrie-irving-apologizes-for-posting-link-to-anti-semitic-film/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apology</a> after he was suspended. &#8220;To all the Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize.&#8221;
And Smith argued that if NBA Commissioner Adam Silver — who is Jewish — could say that he didn&#8217;t believe Irving was anti-semitic, that should be the end of it.
&#8220;We got riots that took place in the streets a couple of years ago. And I told everyone back then; I said when George Floyd had that knee on his neck, what people didn’t get, outside of the black community, is that black folks were going off because we were saying from a figurative perspective, from a metaphorical perspective, we always feel like we got a knee on our neck,&#8221; Smith claimed. &#8220;And that’s where the frustration and the fulminant of vitriol and hostility and, dare I say; violence came shining through.&#8221;
Smith went on to draw a line from what happened to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ex-minneapolis-police-officers-found-guilty-of-violating-george-floyds-civil-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Floyd</a> — when he was killed in the custody of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin — to the way the team was treating Irving.
&#8220;So here we are again. Now, this doesn’t have anything to do with that in a literal perspective, but this is somebody or a bunch of people out there trying to put their knee and keep their knee on Kyrie’s neck. Kyrie does not deserve that,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;He made a mistake. He made a mistake; he had to apologize for it. He’s been embarrassed because of it. He’s cost himself money because of it. He’s been suspended because of it.&#8221;
Smith then argued that there were racial implications to Irving&#8217;s suspension as well, suggesting that if Irving was white, his suspension might have a definitive end point.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
America don&#39;t think I haven&#39;t noticed what you have done! Let Kyrie go back and play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KyrieIrving?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KyrieIrving</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lethimplay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lethimplay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FirstTake?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FirstTake</a> <a href="https://t.co/w16Wj5Iu5U">pic.twitter.com/w16Wj5Iu5U</a>
&mdash; Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/1591127364733440000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Indiana Pacers v Brooklyn Nets

ESPN Host Goes Ham On Brooklyn Nets, Claims Suspension For Anti-Semitism Is A ‘Knee On Kyrie’s Neck’

ESPN Host Goes Ham On Brooklyn Nets, Claims Suspension For Anti-Semitism Is A 'Knee On Kyrie's Neck'

Anti-Semitism

ESPN

Kyrie Irving

New York

Sports

Stephen A. Smith

U.S.

There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I think the best place to begin is with a thank you from my heart.
Yesterday, I covered the Kyrie Irving situation. And I felt a little trepidation in giving my opinion about his situation, because there&#8217;s a lot of tension in the air right now between the Jewish community and the black community.
I also knew by defending Kyrie Irving — which I felt was the right thing to do — some people would say, “Oh, there she goes defending black people and saying nothing about the Jewish community or about people now sharing anti-semitic remarks.”
I was so overwhelmed and thankful for the response to yesterday’s monologue. As I looked over the comments, I saw an outpouring of love and understanding. And I think that outpouring came, perhaps, because I did something yesterday I rarely do — I shared my heart.
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Normally, I’m never a person to say, “As a black person I believe this…” or “As a black woman I think that…” But yesterday I felt I needed to come to you as a black person living in this society. And I was hopeful you would understand why.
I was touched by Kyrie Irving&#8217;s remarks, when he asked the press, “Where were you when I was a kid figuring out that 300 million of my ancestors are buried in America? Where were you guys asking those same questions when I was a kid dealing with learning about the traumatic events of my familial history…?”
I shared with you how it&#8217;s a weird thing to be a black person in society and not really know where you come from. I felt his pain. And I think you guys heard my pain, and you responded to it accordingly. 
Now, obviously, there&#8217;s another subject that is getting snowballed into the Kyrie Irving situation.
In fact, I think this subject is part of the reason the media has been so harsh — despite Kyrie Irving really committing no crimes worthy of that harshness, worthy of the words used by the Brooklyn Nets regarding him — when all he did was share a link and then immediately offer apologies for what he deemed to be ‘falsehoods’ within the documentary.
But the other subject we’ve been avoiding is Kanye West. And when I say ‘us,’ I mean especially me.
Ye is my friend. I have been very, very clear about that. Ye is still my friend. And I don&#8217;t really like to talk about things or people who are personal to me.
A lot of times I sit back and I wonder why I have the platform I have. It&#8217;s a weird thing to sort of look through the lens of your life and to say, “Why am I here?” “What am I doing?”
As far as I&#8217;m concerned, all I’ve done is stand up and speak the truth — a lot of times.
Because we now live in times of tremendous turmoil, a lot of people depend on me to continue to tell the truth and not ‘sell out.’ I know what that means.
There’s been a lot of pressure on me from people saying, “Candace, don&#8217;t sell out to The Daily Wire,&#8221; because I work with them. Just like people used to say to me, “Candace, don&#8217;t sell out to Prager,” when I was with them. 
People have this fear that the more success they have, it forces them to think I need to stay within a certain boundary and a certain line to maintain that success. Essentially, a lot of people trade their souls for money. That is true. I&#8217;m simply not one of those people. There is no amount of money that would cause me to say something I do not mean, there&#8217;s nobody that can make me ‘perform.’ I want to make that clear to everybody.
And I thought I was making that clear when I remained silent regarding Ye, someone who is my actual friend behind the scenes. But I&#8217;m going to do something rare today. I&#8217;m going to share with you some personal conversations I&#8217;ve had, not just with Ye, but with other people who are friends of mine behind the scenes.
With Adidas pulling out of their deal, essentially saying we want nothing to do with Ye, and GAP pulling out and saying, ‘We want nothing to do with him’ — with what feels like the entire world condemning him, a lot of people wonder what he is thinking.
How did he respond to losing $2 billion, as it was estimated, in one day? After a week of tweeting and saying things — everyone suddenly wants nothing to do with him? How do you think he&#8217;s feeling about that? 
A lot of you guys might be thinking he feels very sad about all of it. I&#8217;m only going to tell you what he said to me last week, because I too was feeling sad about it. 
It&#8217;s difficult for me to communicate what Ye means to black America. It&#8217;s difficult for me to communicate what he as an artist meant to me. For his entire life, Kanye West has made it possible for black Americans to know that the world can be ours. He let us know that it was possible to do the impossible.
Before I ever knew him, I shared my heart about him being my favorite artist, because his music let me know, as a girl who came from nothing, that I could break the barriers. I did not have to just be a victim, I didn&#8217;t have to care what the media thought about me. I actually felt empowered by his song “Power.” 
And so in that regard, he has racked up a lot of credits in the black community. So when we are asked to dump him, because of his recent actions, it&#8217;s not easy for us to do that. Because he&#8217;s meant so much to us in our households, and in our personal spaces, and now as a friend, to see what&#8217;s happening to him, it&#8217;s been tremendously hurtful.
So I called and spoke to him. I expected he would be feeling hurt. But instead, after all of the cancellations, his first sentence to me was, “Now I&#8217;m finally free.” It almost made me cry. 
It almost made me cry, because I realized how I felt so scared and so worried for him. And yet, for Ye, in a really bizarre way, he intentionally blew himself up — because he has been under so much pressure in Hollywood to be somebody he&#8217;s not.
He has since shared that what started all of this was a series of text messages from one Jewish person. And it&#8217;s important to say one Jewish person — not the Jewish community, not the entire Jewish world.
A text message from a guy basically saying he would ‘put you back in the hospital again, if he wanted to,’ and that he would ‘never see his kids again.’ So he was feeling hurt, and he hurt people. He hurt a lot of people. And he owned that. 
Ye himself said on Piers Morgan that his remarks were anti-Semitic, and they were racist. And then he apologized for those remarks and acknowledged that he hurt people. 
And so, I was a bit confused as to why, despite him taking ownership over his own words, people were still coming to me, and asking me to say something bad about him in public. I just didn&#8217;t want to take that bait, because this is actually my friend.
But I realized that a lot of people come to me because they see me as a leader. And I guess in that regard, they hold me in a higher view than I hold myself. Again, I&#8217;m just somebody who is speaking the truth and calling things as I see them. And what I realized is that while I have been a very strong and vocal friend of Ye — and I&#8217;m going to continue to be that — I haven&#8217;t yet been a vocal friend to some people who have been tremendous friends to me. 
Just one example is Dennis Prager. You guys know I worked for Prager University for two years. At Prager University, if we ever had anything that we needed to discuss, I went directly to Marissa Streit, the CEO, who is Jewish.
I said, “I think I should make more money.”
She said, “We never want this relationship to be about money. We just want you to take it, take whatever you want. We never want to have to go back to the contract.”
I&#8217;ve said this publicly before, and I will say it again, the most productive working relationship that I&#8217;ve ever had in my entire conservative career was with Prager University. Dennis Prager is a wonderful human being, Marissa Streit is a wonderful human being — they are wonderful people who happen to be Jewish.
And Dennis Prager, when I called him, he wanted to discuss the situation with Ye. I didn’t even let him get a word in. I just yelled at him. Honestly, I was very harsh.
I said to him, “I&#8217;m not playing this game with the Jewish community again.”
Because people were starting to say, ‘Well, if Candace doesn&#8217;t condemn Ye, then she, too is anti-Semitic, it means that she&#8217;s also anti-Semitic by association.’
“I&#8217;ve wrongly been smeared and labeled as anti-semitic in the past,” I said. “You were there for that, Dennis, you were one of the lone voices that stood up for me when BuzzFeed intentionally pulled out a clip of me to make it sound like I was defending Adolf Hitler. And despite that, I was gracious and understanding.” 
I said, “This is the second time, the second time, you guys are gonna come at me with smears of anti-semitism. Now, I&#8217;m not doing it, I&#8217;m not playing the game with you guys.”
Dennis did not push back at all. He said he understood. And he published an article in my defense.
So essentially, what Dennis did was he heard how I felt hurt by the Jewish community, and how I was feeling hurt again by the Jewish community. And rather than argue with me on it, or rather than say, “Well, Candace…” No, he heard my hurt and he published an article in my defense. It was an incredible act of friendship.
I want to be remembered not just as a formidable enemy to the Left. I am that of course.
I do not want to just be remembered as a formidable enemy to any institution that seeks to harm my children. I am also that, of course. 
The most important thing that I want to be remembered as is a formidable friend, because I am that. I am a good friend to Ye. And I am a good friend to Dennis Prager, Marisa Streit, and many other Jewish people who have been amazing to me. But I haven&#8217;t been vocal in that friendship. And so I want to do that today.
I want to say to those individuals who have been out there defending me, while I have been silent, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has meant the world to me.
I don&#8217;t want to make a habit, by the way, of defending myself against a baseless smear. It is a bad game. But I think right now is a rare occasion where there are very high tensions between the black community and the Jewish community. And so I think it&#8217;s important for me to state the obvious: I, of course, am not anti-Semitic whatsoever. I&#8217;ve never had an anti-Semitic bone in my body. Actually, before I married my husband, I almost married a Jewish man.
I do think it&#8217;s important to say that, because I&#8217;ve made it abundantly clear publicly that I&#8217;m standing by Ye as he weathers this tremendous storm. But I also recognize that I need to make it abundantly clear that I&#8217;m standing by Dennis Prager as well, and all of my other Jewish friends and supporters who are speaking out for me, and who have endured what may have felt like a very heavy silence from me.
And so I want to again say thank you, to all of you for understanding and knowing that the hurt that is coming from the black community, which I can speak on, is this feeling that we have all been emotional slaves — the spiritual slavery that Kyrie Irving talked about. Feeling like you have to choose between who you actually are, and a paycheck.
Sometimes we push back on that in the wrong way. Ye has been clear that he did it in the wrong way. Sometimes we push back on that in a certain way that is determined to be wrong, like Kyrie.
My hope is we all learn to push back in the right way.

Candace_416x9 copy 28 (1)

Candace Owens: Breaking My Silence On Ye And The Jewish Community

Cancel Culture

Candace Owens

Dennis Prager

Jewish

Kanye West

Readers Pass

Social Issues

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike</a> halted its relationship with the Brooklyn Nets&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> on Friday ahead of a new product that the company was set to launch with Irving that is part of an endorsement deal that the company has with him.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” the company said. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
The team issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/brooklyn-nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-after-he-refuses-to-apologize-for-tweeting-anti-semitic-movie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> this week saying that they have suspended Irving for at least five games without pay for failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs,” adding that he was “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
“Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing anti-Semitic hate,” the team’s statement reads. “We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.”
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyrie-irving-apologizes-for-posting-link-to-anti-semitic-film" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problems</a> for Irving started when he shared a link to his millions of followers of a film called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on October 27. After backlash ensued, Irving tweeted<a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1586419512538451968?s=20&amp;t=-Nt-1Ybv3Hc97smmLHDUOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">,</a> “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,” and deleted the original tweet, but didn’t apologize.
On October 28, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai posted a statement in which he said, “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
After the Nets’ game on October 29, Irving was asked at a press conference about his “promotion” of the movie through his tweet. He responded, “Will you please stop calling it a promotion? What am I promoting?”
“You put it out on your platform,” the reporter suggested.
“I put it out there just like you put things out there, right?’ Irving declared. “Let’s move on. Don’t dehumanize me up here. … I don’t have to understand anything from you.”
The NBA later responded to Irving&#8217;s remarks in a statement saying that anti-Semitism is unacceptable in the league.
&#8220;Hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA’s values of equality, inclusion and respect,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring such words or ideas, including antisemitic ones, are challenged and refuted and we will continue working with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions.&#8221;
Hank Berrien and Brandon Drey contributed to this report.

Nike Halts Relationship With NBA’s Kyrie Irving Over Anti-Semitism Controversy

Nike Halts Relationship With NBA's Kyrie Irving Over Anti-Semitism Controversy

Business

Nike

On Thursday night, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving apologized to the Jewish community for a retweet of a link to a virulently anti-Semitic film.
Irving had been suspended by the team earlier on Thursday for at least five games for failing to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
The problems for Irving started when he shared a link to his millions of followers of a film called &#8220;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on October 27. After backlash ensued, Irving <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1586419512538451968?s=20&amp;t=-Nt-1Ybv3Hc97smmLHDUOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted,</a> “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,” and deleted the original tweet, but didn’t apologize.
On October 28, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai posted a statement in which he stated, “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.
&mdash; Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1586196102126391296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After the Nets’ game on October 29, Irving was <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1586555571578159104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586555571578159104%7Ctwgr%5Ee6433613d65cc00d373a1c3a614182015d9bde2f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fvideo-kyrie-irving-tells-reporter-dont-dehumanize-me-testy-exchange-1755643" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> at a press conference about his “promotion” of the movie though his tweet. He responded, “Will you please stop calling it a promotion? What am I promoting?”
“You put it out on your platform,” the reporter suggested.
“I put it out there just like you put things out there, right?’ Irving declared. “Let’s move on. Don’t dehumanize me up here. &#8230; I don’t have to understand anything from you.”
The NBA issued a statement after Irving’s remarks, saying:
<blockquote>
Hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA&#8217;s values of equality, inclusion and respect. We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring such words or ideas, including antisemitic ones, are challenged and refuted and we will continue working with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The NBA issued the following statement: <a href="https://t.co/vuTVhEegeh">pic.twitter.com/vuTVhEegeh</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1586495564400713728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;</blockquote>
Yesterday, Irving spoke after the team’s practice, refusing to apologize, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m not the one who made the documentary,” while adding, “I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.”
The Nets then suspended Irving for five games, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34942326/nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-least-five-games-pay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stating</a>:
<blockquote>
Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate. We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.
We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity &#8212; but failed &#8212; to clarify.”
Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.
</blockquote>
Irving issued a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckhj8iIu0HN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement on Instagram</a> Thursday night in which he apologized:
<blockquote>
While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions.
I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this. 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.
I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being.
I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.
</blockquote>
The anti-Semitic film “includes extensive antisemitism, including claims of a global Jewish conspiracy to oppress and defraud Black people, allegations that Jews are in part responsible for the transatlantic slave trade and the claim that Jews falsified the history of the Holocaust in order to ‘conceal their nature and protect their status and power,’” the Anti-Defamation League <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/hebrews-negroes-what-you-need-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes</a>.
“The film also amplifies <a href="https://antisemitism.adl.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-once="openExternalLinksOnNewTab">longstanding antisemitic tropes</a> about Jewish power, control and greed, including false claims that Jews control the media, and disputes the identity of modern Jews, claiming they are ‘religious converts’ who descended from the <a href="https://extremismterms.adl.org/glossary/khazars" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-once="openExternalLinksOnNewTab">Khazars</a> and have no historical connection to the land of Israel.”

Chicago Bulls v Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving Apologizes For Posting Link To Anti-Semitic Film

Religion

The Brooklyn Nets suspended <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> for at least five games without pay for failure to &#8220;unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.&#8221;
Irving shared a tweet Thursday — which appears to have been deleted — including a clip from a movie titled &#8220;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,&#8221; a film based on the book by Ronald Dalton that Rolling Stone said shares &#8220;anti-Semitic tropes.&#8221;
Nets officials issued a statement on Irving, saying the franchise&#8217;s view of the team&#8217;s guard is that he is &#8220;currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing anti-Semitic hate,&#8221; the team&#8217;s statement reads. &#8220;We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.&#8221;
Nets officials said they were &#8220;dismayed&#8221; after Irving refused to denounce antisemitic beliefs or acknowledge specific &#8220;hateful&#8221; material in the film.
&#8220;This was not the first time he had the opportunity &#8212; but failed &#8212; to clarify,&#8221; the Nets said in a statement.
Irving told reporters he takes responsibility for posting some content referring to the Jewish community that he referred to as &#8220;questionable,&#8221; &#8220;untrue,&#8221; and &#8220;unfortunate.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe everything that everybody posts in a documentary,&#8221; Irving said. &#8220;So I take my responsibility.&#8221;
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t mean to cause any harm,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;m not the one that made the documentary.&#8221;
Reporters continually pressed Irving to issue an apology. Irving again refused while slamming the media for not asking the same questions when he was a kid &#8220;dealing with, learning about the traumatic events of my familial history.&#8221;
&#8220;Where were you when I was a kid figuring out that 300 million of my ancestors are buried in America?&#8221; he said.
Yet the Nets called Irving&#8217;s refusal to disavow antisemitism &#8220;deeply disturbing&#8221; and against the organization&#8217;s values.
&#8220;Accordingly, we have decided that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.&#8221;
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Nets statement on Kyrie Irving: “We are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures…” <a href="https://t.co/Mp682Sck23">pic.twitter.com/Mp682Sck23</a>
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1588316913016655872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/03/nets-suspend-currently-unfit-kyrie-irving/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> Irving spoke to reporters after releasing a joint statement with the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League, where Irving took responsibility for the retweet and pledged $500,000 to fight hate.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted that Irving &#8220;clearly has a lot of work to do&#8221; following the press conference.
&#8220;We took @KyrieIrving at his word when he said he took responsibility but today he did not make good on that promise,&#8221; ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted.
Irving&#8217;s suspension marks the second time for the NBA star after he refused to comply with the league&#8217;s COVID vaccination policy last season, which cost him $100 million and a four-year contract extension.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Kyrie Irving Still Wont APOLOGIZE for Social Media Post | Nets Interview" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rj85yKNAVco?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Brooklyn Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving After He Refuses To Apologize For Tweeting ‘Anti-Semitic’ Movie

Anti-Defamation League

New York City

Brooklyn Nets guard <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/f-that-its-the-playoffs-kyrie-irving-unloads-on-hecklers-after-boston-loss/">Kyrie Irving</a> was the target of a court-side protest on Monday, as a group of people filled the front row, the men wearing yarmulkes and all of them wearing matching t-shirts that read, &#8220;Fight anti-semitism.&#8221;
Photos of the protest quickly began to circulate on social media.
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Quite the visual here. <a href="https://t.co/9FD3pfnUcL">pic.twitter.com/9FD3pfnUcL</a>
&mdash; Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alec_Sturm/status/1587241356824662016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The protest came about after Irving shared a tweet Thursday — which appears to have <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/kyrie-irving-antisemitic-movie-postgame-presser-1234621117/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been deleted</a> — including a clip from a movie titled &#8220;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.&#8221; The film, according to <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/kyrie-irving-boosts-antisemitic-movie-peddling-jewish-slave-ships-theory-1234620125/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rolling Stone</a>, is based on a book of the same name by Ronald Dalton and is &#8220;stuffed with anti-semitic tropes.&#8221;
&#8220;They should not keep a guy like that around,&#8221; protester Aaron Jungreis told the New York Post&#8217;s Ian O’Connor. &#8220;A lot of people are going to cancel. They have to discipline him in some way. We told him we love him anyway, even though we know he hates us.&#8221;
Jungreis also said that Irving had responded to them, but when he told them he appreciated them, &#8220;he said it sarcastically.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Aaron Jungreis, in &quot;Fight anti-Semitism&quot; shirt, on Kyrie Irving Part 2: &quot;We told him we love him anyway, even though we know he hates us.&quot; He said Irving told the 8 fans in those shirts that he appreciates them, but &quot;he said it sarcastically.&quot;
&mdash; Ian O&#39;Connor (@Ian_OConnor) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ian_OConnor/status/1587267694310612992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Irving&#8217;s tweet also <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/nets-owner-says-disappointed-kyrie-irving-appeared-promote-antisemitic-rcna54654" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught the attention</a> of Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, who tweeted his response last Friday.
&#8220;I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion,&#8221; Tsai tweeted, adding, &#8220;This is bigger than basketball.&#8221;
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This is bigger than basketball
&mdash; Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1586198076402069505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Irving <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nets-kyrie-irving-doubles-down-after-promoting-antisemitic-film-alex-jones-conspiracy-theory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initially responded</a> by doubling down, telling reporters on Saturday, &#8220;I&#8217;m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I&#8217;m only going to get stronger because I&#8217;m not alone. I have a whole army around me.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re in 2022. It&#8217;s on Amazon, public platform,&#8221; he said of the film. &#8220;Whether you want to go watch it or not is up to you. There&#8217;s things being posted every day. I&#8217;m no different than the next human being, so don&#8217;t treat me any different. You come in here and make up this powerful influence that I have over the top [and say], &#8216;You cannot post that.&#8217; Why not? Why not? Everybody posts everything else.&#8221;
He responded again to the backlash by claiming that he is an &#8220;Omnist&#8221; and did not mean to offend anyone.
&#8220;I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The &#8216;Anti-Semitic&#8217; 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,&#8221; he said.
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I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to 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.
Hélà🤞🏾♾
&mdash; Chief Hélà 🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1586419512538451968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Fans Deliver Silent Court-Side ‘Fight Anti-Semitism’ Protest To Nets Star Kyrie Irving

Fans Deliver Silent Court-Side 'Fight Anti-Semitism' Protest To Nets Star Kyrie Irving

Israel

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/stephen-a-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen A. Smith</a> told Bill Maher he agreed with him that &#8220;it&#8217;s your body&#8221; when it comes to athletes being unvaccinated following a viral clip of Smith slamming NBA star Kyrie Irving for refusing to get the COVID vaccine.
During the ESPN host’s appearance on the “Club Random with Bill Maher&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAu2o2yrV3M" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> Monday, Maher asked Smith about his <a href="https://fb.watch/go86KyC9si/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">past comments</a> regarding Brooklyn Nets star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> &#8220;regress[ing] to an alarming level of self-righteousness&#8221; after Irving spoke out against the vaccine mandate. Smith said it makes Irving look &#8220;stupid.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what you thought of the athletes who didn&#8217;t want to get vaccinated, and I don&#8217;t want to get into a big fight about it, because I will,&#8221; the host said. &#8220;But I was on their side. Because health is a case-by-case basis, and when you&#8217;re a finely-tuned athlete with a body that is perfect, because that’s your living, you put in that body only what you want to put on to keep that instrument, that is your instrument.”
&#8220;The idea that [Novak] Djokovic was going to hurt anybody, or Aaron Rodgers, or, oh my gosh, Kyrie Irving, I mean, clutch my pearls,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I thought &#8216;Bully for you guys for standing,&#8217; especially Kyrie Irving, because he gave up a lot of money, although he&#8217;ll get it back, because he can play now, right?&#8221;
WATCH:
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&#8220;Let me be very clear,&#8221; Smith replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t disagree with you. … Yeah, it&#8217;s your body, and somebody is trying to tell you what to inject into your body. I didn&#8217;t like it, I was very reluctant and hesitant about getting vaccinated. But obviously it&#8217;s made very clear, you know, you want to work here in these corridors, you need to do this, right?&#8221;
&#8220;Here&#8217;s where I held it against Kyrie,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It had nothing to do with being vaccinated &#8230; or being unvaccinated, in my mind. What bothered me is that you are a superstar on a team that is a championship contender, and everybody is there because of you&#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;But it&#8217;s still his body,&#8221; Maher interjected.
&#8220;All I&#8217;m saying is, it&#8217;s your right,&#8221; Smith replied. &#8220;But I’m thinking about it from a competitive perspective. A lot of dudes in the NBA didn&#8217;t want to do it. But you&#8217;re playing for a championship.&#8221;
Maher reiterated that it&#8217;s a person&#8217;s body that the vaccine is now inside of, and &#8220;we just don&#8217;t know that much. Even though they think they do. … Because nobody can realistically look you in the eye and say we are a million percent sure there&#8217;s just no doubt that no harm can come, and I&#8217;m talking about down the road.&#8221;
Smith admitted that despite his hesitancy, he got the vaccine, but then caught a bad case of COVID and ended up in the hospital in December.
&#8220;I had COVID. I was double vaccinated, I hadn&#8217;t taken the booster shot yet,&#8221; the ESPN host said. &#8220;Damn thing almost killed me because I had an endoscopy prior to acquiring COVID. I had double pneumonia. … So I understand where everybody&#8217;s coming from and I get all of that, but I also say this to you — when it comes to professional athletes, you know how much stuff gets put in their body that they have no damn clue whatsoever what it is?&#8221;
The HBO host disputed his claim and said athletes like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers know exactly what they are putting in their body.
&#8220;Well, obviously, it didn&#8217;t work on you,&#8221; Maher added, noting that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/espns-stephen-a-smith-reveals-he-has-covid-19-calls-nets-decision-to-allow-unvaccinated-kyrie-irving-back-disgraceful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smith</a> got COVID after two vaccination shots.
&#8220;I&#8217;m acknowledging I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Smith replied. &#8220;But what I&#8217;m saying is that I don&#8217;t know and yet I&#8217;m here in this situation. On one hand, they&#8217;re telling me because I was vaccinated, that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m alive. And in my mind, a part of me is saying, but dammit, I was double vaccinated, should have never got the damn thing.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/espns-stephen-a-smith-reveals-he-has-covid-19-calls-nets-decision-to-allow-unvaccinated-kyrie-irving-back-disgraceful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&#8217;s Stephen A. Smith Reveals He Has COVID-19, Calls Nets Decision To Allow Unvaccinated Kyrie Irving Back &#8216;Disgraceful&#8217;</a>

Brooklyn Nets v Memphis Grizzlies

‘It’s Your Body’: Stephen A. Smith On Athletes Being Unvaccinated Following Viral Clip Slamming NBA Star For Refusing To Get Jab

Aaron Rodgers

Celebrities

COVID-19 Vaccine

Entertainment

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving took to the microphone at midcourt before his team&#8217;s season opener to call on President Joe Biden to do his job and find a way to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home.
Irving shared the bold challenge as he addressed the Barclays Center crowd on Wednesday night. Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for bringing cannabis into the country, which she said was &#8220;an honest mistake.&#8221;
&#8220;I appreciate us being able to share this floor together, all of us as brothers. But the big picture that’s going on in the world is free our sister, Brittney Griner. Please,&#8221; Irving shared with the home crowd.
&#8220;POTUS, do your job. Everybody do your job. Please bring our sister home. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs to the best of our ability if we didn’t stand for what we believe in,&#8221; he added.
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Kyrie Irving&#39;s opening night message to Nets&#39; fans end with a plea to free Brittney Griner.
&quot;POTUS do your job, everybody do your job.”
🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/YESNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YESNetwork</a><a href="https://t.co/UhUofXUXP7">pic.twitter.com/UhUofXUXP7</a>
&mdash; The Athletic (@TheAthletic) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/1582880957689839617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Griner, the Phoenix Mercury star center, was arrested in February for possessing vape canisters in her luggage with cannabis oil at a Moscow airport.
Her arrest came four days before Russia invaded Ukraine. She has now been held for more than seven months. The 6-foot, 9-inch center was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment in August, just shy of the 10-year maximum sentence.
“I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here,” Griner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-brittney-griner-sentenced-to-9-years-in-russian-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> ahead of her verdict. “I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here. I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom.”
The WNBA honored Griner on her 32nd birthday on Tuesday.
&#8220;Happy Birthday Brittney Griner, we will not forget about you and we will not stop fighting for you. The W won’t be the same until you’re home,&#8221; the league&#8217;s Twitter account posted.
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Happy Birthday Brittney Griner, we will not forget about you and we will not stop fighting for you. The W won’t be the same until you’re home 🧡 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreBG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreBG</a> <a href="https://t.co/J5sO2EkGLL">pic.twitter.com/J5sO2EkGLL</a>
&mdash; WNBA (@WNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1582372188132233216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry also offered his support for Griner&#8217;s release during his team&#8217;s championship ring ceremony on Tuesday.
&#8220;We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shout out a very special member of the basketball community,&#8221; Curry <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/steph-curry-offers-support-griner-wnba-star-thanks-fans-birthday-rcna52906" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the crowd before its season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Griner’s case has been appealed in Russia. The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnbas-brittney-griner-russian-court-appeal-scheduled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeal date</a> has been set for a Moscow region court on October 25.
During an interview earlier in October, Griner&#8217;s wife, Cherelle Griner, said they were hoping for a prisoner swap, fearing that Brittney could be sent to a labor camp if the plans were unsuccessful.
“Your life matters to me,” Cherelle said she told Brittney. “I want to get you back home, and I’m going to continue to pray every day that the decision-makers in this situation will have mercy, and will sit down and they will, too, see your life matters and do whatever they can to agree on terms.”

‘POTUS, Do Your Job’: NBA’s Kyrie Irving Calls On Biden To Get WNBA’s Brittney Griner Home

NBA’s Kyrie Irving Calls On Biden To Get WNBA’s Brittney Griner Home

Basketball

Brittney Griner

WNBA

<div>
NBA superstar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyrie Irving</a> can put a price on his decision to forego the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID vaccine</a>, and it is north of nine figures.
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The Brooklyn Nets guard says he gave up a $100 million, four-year contract extension all because he refused to get the vaccine when the NBA and the city where he plays were putting enormous pressure on players to take the jabs.
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“I gave up four years, 100-and-something million deciding to be unvaccinated and that was the decision,&#8221; Irving said during Nets media day on Monday. &#8220;[Get this] contract, get vaccinated or be unvaccinated and there&#8217;s a level of uncertainty of your future, whether you&#8217;re going to be in this league, whether you&#8217;re going to be on this team, so I had to deal with that real-life circumstance of losing my job for this decision.”
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Kyrie Irving says refusing to get vaccinated cost him $100 million 💰 <a href="https://t.co/OAEKn0xJZ1">https://t.co/OAEKn0xJZ1</a>
&mdash; David Cone (@davidadamcone) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidadamcone/status/1574771894930251776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Irving was only able to play road games until late in the season because of New York City’s vaccine mandate. He wound up playing for his option-year salary, but had to forego home game paychecks while he sat on the bench. The 30-year-old all star said had hoped to reach a deal with the team, but instead went into the season at loggerheads with Nets management.
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“We were supposed to have all that figured out before training camp last year,” Irving said. &#8220;And it just didn&#8217;t happen because of the status of me being vaccinated, unvaccinated. So, I understood their point and I just had to live with it. It was a tough pill to swallow, honestly.”
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Irving played in 29 of the team’s 82 games, averaging a stellar 27.4 points per game. The team posted a 44-38 record and made the playoffs, but were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.
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Nets GM Sean Marks denied that the team put undue pressure on Irving.
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“There&#8217;s no ultimatum being given here,” Marks said. “Again, it goes back to you want people who are reliable, people who are here, and accountable. All of us: staff, players, coaches, you name it. It&#8217;s not giving somebody an ultimatum to get a vaccine. That&#8217;s a completely personal choice. I stand by Kyrie. I think if he wants, he&#8217;s made that choice. That&#8217;s his prerogative completely.”
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<div>
Marks said the real standoff was between Irving and the city. Earlier this month, New York mayor Eric Adams announced he’s ending the private employer vaccine mandate but keeping one in place for city workers. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nets-kyrie-irving-calls-covid-vaccine-mandate-one-of-biggest-violations-of-human-rights-in-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irving blasted that decision</a>, called forced vaccinations a human rights violation.
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<div>
“If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired,” Irving wrote in a Twitter post. “This enforced Vaccine/Pandemic is one the biggest violations of HUMAN RIGHTS in history.”
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Brooklyn Nets Media Day

NBA Star Kyrie Irving Reveals Shocking Price He Paid For Refusing To Get COVID Jab

NBA Star Kyrie Irving Reveals Price He Paid For Refusing To Get COVID Jab

Eric Adams

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving spoke out after New York City announced an end to its COVID vaccine mandate for private-sector employees on Tuesday, calling the requirement among &#8220;the biggest violations of human rights in history.&#8221;
Irving shared the comments in a viral Twitter post on Tuesday following the announcement by New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams.
“If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired,” Irving wrote.
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If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired. ♾🤞🏾
This enforced Vaccine/Pandemic is one the biggest violations of HUMAN RIGHTS in history.
&mdash; Chief Hélà 🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1572232112736210944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“This enforced Vaccine/Pandemic is one the biggest violations of HUMAN RIGHTS in history,” he added.
Adams <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/686-22/mayor-adams-launches-covid-19-booster-campaign-additional-flexibility-nyc#/0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday that “the additional flexibility we are announcing for private employers, students, and parents puts the choice back into each of their hands.”
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JUST IN: <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYCMayor</a> announces that New York City is updating its COVID-19 measures for private businesses and parents, giving them more flexibility to make their own decisions that are best for them.
Learn more here: <a href="https://t.co/tLCWEsxzIp">pic.twitter.com/tLCWEsxzIp</a>
&mdash; NYC Mayor&#39;s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice/status/1572227873762590724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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New York City&#8217;s deputy mayor for health and human services Anne Williams-Isom shared the details that included an end to the vaccine mandate on students participating in sports and extracurricular activities.
“While we continue to adapt to the virus with these changes to vaccine mandates for private-sector employees and students participating in sports and extracurricular activities, we must continue doing our part to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” she said in the statement.
Irving&#8217;s comments take on extra meaning following his strong opposition to the city&#8217;s vaccine mandate that led to him being unable to play much of last season after refusing to comply. After a brief return to away games in January, he sat out until the city rolled back its rules for indoor events in March.
After missing more than 70 games over the city&#8217;s mandate, Irving <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyrie-irving-makes-season-debut-in-new-york-city-im-standing-for-freedom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returned</a> to loud cheers from fans at Barclays Center.
“I made it very clear it was never just about me,” Irving said, despite his team losing the game. “I think for my own legacy, that’s to be written by all those that I impact and all those that impact me, and it’s far bigger than just a basketball game. But when I’m in this locker room, I get a chance to perform with a bunch of guys that are selfless and are sacrificing just as much as I am. It makes it worthwhile.”
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Kyrie Irving received loud cheers from fans at Barclays Center during introductions. Irving is playing in his first home game for the Brooklyn Nets since Game 2 versus the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on June 7, 2021. He waved to the crowd before tip off. <a href="https://t.co/ZVav5KTsXn">pic.twitter.com/ZVav5KTsXn</a>
&mdash; Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1508230237502517251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Irving is among a small number of vocal professional athletes who have opposed the COVID vaccine mandate despite limitations on playing time or other complications.

Nets’ Kyrie Irving Calls COVID Vaccine Mandate One Of ‘Biggest Violations’ Of Human Rights In History

COVID

Human Rights

Vaccine Mandate

Former six-time NBA All Star and Rookie of the Year Amar’e Stoudemire, who <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/amare-stoudemire-completes-his-conversion-to-judaism/amp/">converted to Judaism</a> in 2020, dismissed the claims in the media for him stepping down from serving as an assistant coach, explaining that the real reason was so he could honor the Jewish Sabbath.
Some in the media had conjectured Stoudemire had a beef with Nets star Kyrie Irving after Stoudemire had said to <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/amare-stoudemire-quits-nets-assistant-job-criticizes-kyrie-irvings-absences-004138426.html">ESPN</a> of Irving’s intermittent absences, “Yeah, I think it hurt us. It definitely hurt us because we didn’t have consistency enough with Kyrie to build chemistry with the group, with the team.”
Because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Irving <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kyrie-irving-says-he-thought-nets-might-trade-or-release-him-during-absence-over-covid-vaccine/">wasn&#8217;t allowed to play</a> in home games until the end of the regular season. He played a total of 33 regular-season and playoff games all season.
“He’s playing only away games depending which city it is &#8230; can’t play in New York &#8230; therefore we had different lineups, different matchups depending on the game schedule,” Stoudemire told ESPN. “So it made it difficult for us coaches to figure out who’s going to play in spite of Kyrie. So it was difficult for us to manage that so yeah, it was part of that.”
In his message clarifying why he left the team, Stoudemire stated, “I want to clarify something. I’m seeing articles right now popping saying &#8216;Amar&#8217;e quits the Nets and criticizes Kyrie on his way out.&#8217; That’s not the case.”
“I spoke with Steve Nash before I went on ESPN,” he said. “We had an easy mutual conversation. I spoke about me not being able to grow in the coaching space because I don’t work on Shabbat and so not working on Friday night and Saturdays is difficult for anyone to grow in the coaching space because coaching’s such a grind and it requires you to be there full time.”
“And so for me, I wasn’t able to grow in that space so I did not want to continue coaching,” he continued. “And on the flip side, the Nets organization want people who can be there full time and I totally understand that. So therefore it was a mutual understanding between them and I. Beautiful organization. &#8230; Amazing experience with the organization there.  There’s no hard feelings no way, nohow. There’s no quitting nowhere on my side.”
“Now, criticizing Kyrie, why would I criticize someone who’s as similar as I am? I also fast during the NBA season for Yom Kippur,” Stoudemire pointed out. “I’m also a guy who has a religious intake. I’m also a guy who’s an activist who speaks about African-American communities, and so forth. So why would I criticize someone who’s very similar to [who] I am.”
“The media will try to turn your words against your fellow friend or organization to provide more viewers or more clicks to their article. I’m not gonna allow that to happen. You’re not going to turn me against Kyrie. You’re not going to turn me against the Nets. You’re not gonna turn me against anyone, so you can forget about it. Peace,” he concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/Amareisreal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Amareisreal</a> quits working as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets “because it’s difficult to be a coach and keep Shabbos”.
He also addresses the medias desire to create fake controversy between him &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KyrieIrving</a> for clickbait purposes.
A true INSPIRATION. <a href="https://t.co/fA8NxEm9Ow">pic.twitter.com/fA8NxEm9Ow</a>
&mdash; Living Lchaim (@LivingLchaim) <a href="https://twitter.com/LivingLchaim/status/1526950045731504132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

6-Time NBA All-Star Explains Leaving The League: Honoring The Jewish Sabbath

Amar’e Stoudemire Explains Why He Left NBA Coaching 

Judaism

Sabbath

When Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving learned that professional athletes in New York City had been granted an exemption to the city’s vaccine mandate, he was elated that he would be able to fully compete for a championship, but Irving also realized that there were many who have been forced to either receive the COVID-19 vaccine or risk losing their jobs. 
“I’ve been saying from the beginning with all this, it’s never been just about me, and any special privilege or exemption,” Irving <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/ny-kyrie-irving-unvaccinated-mandates-20220326-223tiiyr3vfrlgxxyjn4bxkiby-story.html">said</a>. “I think there are a lot of people dealing with real consequences from being unvaccinated. And I don’t think it’s talked about enough in terms of our essential workers and people on the frontlines, and it’s just it’s a whole community of us that really want to stand together.”
Irving has thrown his support behind unions that are fighting the vaccine mandate, specifically mentioning one Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker in New York who has taken a stand against the city’s mandate. 
Tramell Thompson, who has been on disability leave for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic, has Irving’s support. 
“He’s leading a community of essential workers and people who are unvaccinated or had a belief that they want to continue to live their lives against the mandate and it’s unfortunate to see that people are getting fired,” Irving <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-kyrie-irving-vaccination-mta-worker-progressive-action-trammell-thompson-20220417-pmmoi3uiazhwnmrn754cna6dny-story.html">told</a> The Daily News last week. “Tramell has done a great job of community together and keeping everybody strong and believing this will change. It’s not an easy job so I commend him for doing what he’s doing. But I definitely support the effort to take care of our essential workers and take care of those who have been affected by this mandate.”
On Wednesday, Thompson joined “Fox and Friends” to discuss workers who have been “coerced” into taking the COVID-19 shot. 
&#8220;Everyone is focused on the people who didn&#8217;t take the shot,&#8221; Thompson told co-host Pete Hegseth. &#8220;Nobody&#8217;s really talking up for the people who were coerced to get the shot, to pay their bills, to take care of their family, to make sure they don&#8217;t lose their home.&#8221;
&#8220;We will never find out the true number of the people who were really coerced to get something that they really didn&#8217;t want to get,&#8221; he continued. 
In February, more than 1,400 city workers were fired from their jobs after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the city’s deadline. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/nyregion/nyc-vaccine-mandate.html">The New York Times</a>, “About 900 of the fired staff worked at the Department of Education; about 100 worked at the New York City Housing Authority, the public housing agency; 36 were from the New York Police Department.”
&#8220;My job currently has me written up for discipline because they don&#8217;t like any of the freedom-fighting work that I&#8217;m doing inside or outside of the MTA, and they consistently try to silence people like me through discipline,&#8221; Thompson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/kyrie-irving-nyc-transit-worker-vaccine-mandate">said</a> on Wednesday. 
&#8220;I&#8217;m here for a purpose,” he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/kyrie-irving-nyc-transit-worker-vaccine-mandate">continued</a>. “These are God&#8217;s plans, not mine, and I will continue to fight for what I feel is right.&#8221;
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.

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NYC Worker Supported By Kyrie Irving Says People Were ‘Coerced To Get The Shot’ Due To Vaccine Mandate

New York Police Department (NYPD)

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