The heavy silence of the NBA and the players in the controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving’s words and his promotion of an anti-Semitic movie have yet to react to the NBA, and the Nets have another file to manage: Steve Nash’s streak.
Wednesday is therefore a union of players without naming Kyrie Irving, stepped in to denounce anti-Semitism. It should be remembered that this Irving is one of the vice presidents of the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association).
“Anti-Semitism has no place in our society” players union writes. “The NBPA is committed to creating an environment where everyone is welcome. We are committed to helping players understand that certain words can promote hateful ideologies. We will continue to work to detect and eliminate hate speech everywhere. »
And that’s all. There are no sanctions and Kyrie Irving will retain his position as vice president.
In Brooklyn, we look for the most appropriate answer
On the Brooklyn side, after a heated exchange between the player and reporters, we decided not to add fuel to the fire, and Kyrie Irving did not attend the press conference after either the win over the Pacers or the loss to the Bulls.
“I think everybody knows that he’s going to have to answer those questions at some point, and he’s never shied away from that in the past.”GM Sean Marks notes. “But I think the last press conference did not go well. We’re not trying to stifle it, and I think it’s a topic that needs to be addressed, but let’s address it in the right way and in the right way. »
As for whether Kyrie Irving will be sanctioned for his remarks, Sean Marks explains that the franchise is currently in discussions with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to find the most appropriate response.
Charles Barkley is attacking the NBA
“Let him calm down, and I think we should make room for more peaceful ideas.” he declared. “We need to open up and educate ourselves, educate the group as a whole and get some direction, look for experts, and one of them is definitely the ADL. »
Not surprisingly, the topic was at the center of the TNT broadcast. If Shaquille O’Neal thinks he’s Kyrie Irving” fool“, Charles Barkley attacked the NBA.
“I think the NBA got it wrong. I think he should have been punished. Adam Silver had to punish him. First, Adam is a Jew. “You cannot insult my religion by taking 40 million dollars from me.” He believes in Charles Barkley. “You can insult me, you have the right. But I also have the right to say, “No, you will not insult my religion by taking my 40 million dollars.” The NBA made a mistake. We have suspended people and fined people for using homophobic slurs and that was the right thing to do. »
Reggie Miller attacks the players
Nets and Bulls commentator Reggie Miller for TNT also spoke on the matter, and he found the players to be just as culpable as the NBA. He wants players to react the way they do when they come to condemn Donald Sterling’s racism or Robert Sarver’s behavior.
“This league has been remarkable in the past because the players have led the way and there have been strong voices.” Remembers Reggie Miller. “When there was the Donald Sterling case, more recently when there was the Robert Sarver case, the voices of the basketball community and our players were heard saying that disciplinary action should be taken – or let them go. There is one of them and there was no reaction. It’s disappointing because this league is built on the shoulders of defensive players. Good is good and bad is bad. If you want to expose the owners, you should rightly expose the players. When it comes to Kyrie Irving, you can’t keep quiet. Just like we heard from Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling, I want to hear from the players and their strong opinions. »
