NBA star Kyrie Irving addressed his tweet linking to a movie based on a book ‘containing anti-Semitic disinformation’, claiming the label ‘being pushed on him is not justified’.
The Brooklyn Nets guard grabbed attention for publicizing the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ on social media with a link to its Amazon page.
Magazine Rolling Stone has labeled the book with the same name, released in 2015, which the film is based on as ‘venomously anti-Semitic’.
Publication Rolling Stone pointed out that the book by Ronald Dalton Jr. comments that ‘many famous high-ranking Jews’ have ‘admitted to ‘worship[ing] Satan or Lucifer.’
Irving took to Twitter again Saturday to claim the criticism of his tweet was not justified and does not reflect reality.
‘I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs,’ Irving wrote, referring to a belief in all religions.
‘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.’
After sharing the documentary, Irving tweeted ‘now let me get ready for this business date I have tonight’ and ‘The Light is beginning to Dawn,’ bringing heightened scrutiny in the wake of rapper Kanye West’s blatantly anti-Semitic comments.
Kyrie Irving shared links to a movie based on book ‘containing anti-Semitic disinformation’
The NBA star addressed the tweet Saturday as he claimed the anti-Semitic label ‘being pushed on him’ is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth he lives in everyday
The Brooklyn Nets point guard caught the attention for publicizing the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ on social media with a link to its Amazon page
On Friday, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai has condemned Kyrie Irving’s decision to share the link on his Twitter and Instagram profiles.
‘I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation,’ Tsai wrote on Twitter on Friday.
‘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.
‘This is bigger than basketball.’
Nets owner Joe Tsai condemned Irving’s actions on Friday and wants to speak to him
The Nets also distanced themselves from Irving’s posts in a statement to the New York Post, condemning hate speech while not commenting on their player’s actions on Thursday.
‘The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech,’ the statement read.
‘We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue.
‘We thank those, including the ADL [Anti-Defamation League], who have been supportive during this time.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to the Nets for comment.
Tsai (center) said ‘this is bigger than basketball’ in his response to Irving’s posts on Friday
Irving, who was in action in the Nets’ 129-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, has 4.5million followers on Twitter plus 17.5million on his Instagram profile.
The 30-year-old raised eyebrows last month for sharing a video by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from 2002 to his Instagram story.
The video, entitled ‘Never Forget – Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us,’ refers to a ‘New World Order’ that would ‘release plagues’.
In the video Jones said: ‘Yes there have been corrupt empires. Yes they manipulate. Yes there are secret societies. Yes there have been oligarchies throughout history.
‘And yes, today in 2002, there is a tyrannical organization calling itself the New World Order… by releasing diseases and viruses and plagues upon us, we then basically get shoved into their system.’
The 2002 clip of Jones – ordered to pay nearly $1billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting – was one of several videos shared to Irving’s story at the time.
Irving shared a video by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from 2002 to his Instagram story last month. The 20-year-old video, entitled ‘Never Forget – Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us,’ refers to a ‘New World Order’ that would ‘release plagues’
Irving, who serves as vice president on the player’s association’s executive committee, posted videos which discussed a range of topics, including ‘the saturation of the media with celebratory posts about the late Queen Elizabeth II’ and decolonization.
Irving is no stranger to conspiracies having long been willing to embrace theories such as the earth being flat or that the moon landing was staged.
The unvaccinated basketball star was unable to play in most of Brooklyn’s home games last season because he did not meet a New York City vaccine mandate for workplaces.
Irving featured for the Brooklyn Nets in their 129-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday
In October 2021, he started following and liking Instagram posts from a conspiracy theorist who claimed that ‘secret societies’ are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect black people to a master computer for ‘a plan of Satan.’
In apologizing for his endorsement of the Flat Earth ‘theory’ back in October 2018, Irving admitted to being a conspiracy theorist.
‘I was definitely at that time, ”I’m a big conspiracy theorist. You can’t tell me anything.” I’m sorry about all that,’ Irving said.
‘Even if you believe in that, don’t come out and say that stuff. That’s for intimate conversations because perception and how you’re received, it changes. I’m actually a smart-ass individual,’ he explained, 18 months after he first told an interviewer that ‘The Earth is flat. The Earth is flat. … It’s right in front of our faces.’
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