Kyrie Irving returns from suspension: ‘I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism’

Kyrie Irving distanced himself from the antisemitic tropes he appeared to promote in a tweet last month, telling reporters Sunday he doesn’t “stand for anything” related to hate speech ahead of his return to NBA action Sunday night.

Speaking at his team’s morning shootaround, Irving said he regretted how he handled an interview prior to his suspension from the team, in which he refused to say he had no antisemitic beliefs.

“I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that is going against the human race,” Irving told reporters on Sunday. 

“I feel like we all should have an opportunity to speak for ourselves when things are assumed about us and I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions, because there was a way I should have handled all this. And as I look back and reflect, when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone that felt threatened or felt hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all.”

Irving, a seven-time NBA All-Star, made his on-court return on Sunday after sitting out the last eight games due to his suspension. He netted 14 points as the Nets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 127-115. 

In a now-deleted post late last month, Irving tweeted a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” a 2018 film based on a 2015 book of the same name, which features a number of antisemitic tropes.

He had previously said in a statement that he took responsibility for the tweet, but offered a full-throated apology in an interview with SportsNet New York (SNY) published on Saturday.

Nike suspended its sneaker partnership with Irving amid widespread criticism from Jewish groups and across the NBA universe, including Nets owner Joe Tsai, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and basketball legends Charles Barkley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Outside the Barclays Center Sunday night, dozens of members of Israel United in Christ, a Black-led organization, demonstrated in support of Irving, chanting and handing out antisemitic material to fans.

The group initially drew support from Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and basketball legend Isiah Thomas, who both retweeted clips of the group’s protest. While Thomas deleted his Twitter account amid the backlash, Brown, a vice president of the NBA’s players union, apologized and explained in a tweet that he thought it was a Black fraternity organization.

“I saw a large group of people from our community showing support for him [Irving] and his return,” Brown told reporters on Monday. “Me being proud of that support, and me being proud of our community does not mean I endorse or celebrate some of the things that were being done or being said.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.