Getty Kyrie Irving during the Nets preseason loss to the 76ers.
Last month, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving tweeted the link to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which features anti-Semitic tropes. His decision to tweet the link received heavy backlash from the Jewish community.
Irving dragged his feet on issuing a direct apology and condemning the film. As a result, he got suspended by the organization for a minimum of five games. But after being sidelined for the Nets’ matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Irving’s suspension is officially indefinite, with no return date in sight.
On November 13, Irving broke his silence for the first time since his suspension was extended with a cryptic tweet.
“I was not put here on earth to participate in any religious/political wars or incite racial disharmony/prejudice within communities,” Irving wrote.
“We are all equal under the sun, and I am here to participate in the building of an Equal world and follow the Word from the Most High/GOD/YAH.”
I was not put here on earth to participate in any religious/political wars or incite racial disharmony/prejudice within communities. We are all equal under the sun and I am here to participate in the building of an Equal world and follow the Word from the Most High/GOD/YAH.
🤞🏾♾
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Nets Have Faired Well in Kyrie’s Absence
Despite being without Kyrie, the Nets have faired well in his absence, boasting a record of 4-2 during that span. What has improved most notably is their defense. They have held four of their last five opponents to under 100 points.
One could credit the renewed energy in Brooklyn to the fact they are under new leadership, with Jacque Vaughan officially taking over for Steve Nash. But NBA insider Marc Stein, formerly of the New York Times, has a different theory. He believes the Nets are stalling Irving’s return because they have played well with him on the sideline.
“I watched the Nets in person three times last week (as well as the Lakers) and inevitably came away wondering if they are trying to slow-play Irving’s return because — on top of all the turmoil stemming from the off-court controversy — they have been playing such focused team ball and improved defense under new coach Jacque Vaughn without Irving in the lineup,” Stein wrote via his Substack account.
“The Nets’ 4-2 record sans Irving, like it or not, is their longest spurt of positivity in months.”
Durant Still Optimistic About Nets Season
It has been a sluggish start to the season for the Nets. Less than 20 games in, and it already feels like they have dealt with two seasons worth of turmoil. Already they have suspended a star player, fired their head coach, and named an interim head coach.
Then, they had a frontrunner to be the new head coach, only to nix the frontrunner and promote the interim coach to be the new full-time head coach. This is all aside from the injuries they have had to deal with.
But despite all they have dealt with in just 14 games, Nets star Kevin Durant remains optimistic about what the outcome can be for the team this season. He knows as long as they can continue to play high-level basketball, the results will show.
“That’s the name of it, just playing good ball. The results gonna take care of itself if you play solid ball from the first possession to the last,” Durant said on the latest episode of his podcast “The ETCs”.
“That just makes the game fun for everybody. Coaches, fans, and referees when you’re playing honest ball. Everybody’s having a good time when both teams play honest, hard ball. We keep that up, we’ll be in solid shape.”
The Nets will have a chance to get back on the right track in their next game against the Sacramento Kings on November 15.