After Returning the Nets, Irving Has 14 Points and Wants to Concentrate on Basketball

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving cleared the way to play for the Brooklyn Nets once more by expressing his regret to anyone who felt threatened or hurt after he posted a link to a film that contained antisemitic material.

When he finally did, Irving made an effort to keep the conversation on basketball. Deeper discussions, like those regarding the protesters outside the arena or a potential appeal of his suspension without pay, would be postponed until another day.

“I’m just here to focus on the game,” Irving said after scoring 14 points in helping the Nets to a 127-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Since being suspended by the team in November, Irving had missed eight games. 3, hours after he refused to say he had no antisemitic beliefs when meeting with reporters at the The Nets’ practice space.

Irving claimed he should have handled that interview differently once the team was back inside the building for the morning shootaround.

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

Numerous members of the group Israel United in Christ, Black men who were chanting and passing out antisemitic memorabilia, were present in the plaza area when fans arrived at Barclays Center for the game. The organization’s website says its mission is to “wake up the 12 Tribes of Israel.”

Asked about having that group’s support, Irving said he hadn’t seen them, adding that it was “a conversation for another day.”

In response to the question of whether the National Basketball Players Association would take any action against the Nets—members of the NBA, including executive director Tamika Tremaglio, were present at the shootaround and the game—Irving said that other people would take care of that for him.

“I’m sure some things will be done in the future,” Irving said. “There’s no timetable on that right now.”

Irving said he was initially searching for more information about his heritage when he posted a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on his He was adamant about his right to post content that piqued his interest when initially questioned about his Twitter page. Later, in another interview a few days later, he declined to express regret or explain his religious convictions, which resulted in his suspension.

“I was rightfully defensive that there was an assumption that I could be antisemitic, or that I meant to post a documentary to stand side by side with all the views in the documentary,” Irving said, adding, “How can you call someone an antisemite if you don’t know them?”

He spoke for about 12 minutes on Sunday morning, thanking family and friends for their support, but his tone was more somber.

“I meant no harm to any person, to any group of people and yeah, this is a big moment for me because I’m able to learn throughout this process that the power of my voice is very strong, the influence that I have within my community is very strong, and I want to be responsible for that,” Irving said. “In order to do that, you have to admit when you’re wrong and in instances where you hurt people and it impacts them.”

Irving’s relationship with the Nets, who turned down his request for a contract extension last summer, appeared to be further strained as a result of Nike’s decision to end its association with Irving. His refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, which was required at the time in New York City, caused him to miss the majority of their home games last season.

The organization said he was “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets” when it suspended him. However, despite it being unknown what those steps entailed, the Nets praised Irving on Sunday for the actions he has since taken.

“Kyrie took ownership of this journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community,” the team said in a statement. “We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way.”

Source: https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/irving-rejoins-nets-seeks-to-keep-focus-on-basketball