Getty Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets sits on the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter of the game against Chicago Bulls
Last week, LeBron James was asked about his feelings on the recent controversy with Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving sharing a link to a documentary with antisemitic themes and why he felt that other NBA players weren’t talking about Irving and his statements. In it he was the first active NBA player to speak out on the issue. This week, James again spoke out about the Irving controversy and, this time on the recent suspension the point guard received from the Nets.
“I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information. And I’ll continue to be that way but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple. Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him. Anyways back to my rehab session,” James tweeted as a thread.
the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him. Anyways back to my rehab session.
LeBron James Tweet Reopening the Door for Kyrie Irving Trade
NBA Insider Zach Lowe recently reported that the recent tweet coming to Irving’s defense could be a sign that he is reopening the door for Irving to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the midst of their slow start.
“Look, I don’t know why LeBron said what he said about Kyrie yesterday,” Lowe said. “About how it’s time to bring him back in the league.
“Maybe he just said it because he believes and there’s nothing else to it. I can tell you around the league and even within the Lakers, some corners of it, those comments were read as LeBron opening the door to…at least opening the door to, ‘Hey, if you all are comfortable with it and all the blowback it would be, and the Nets are willing to just get out of the business now of Kyrie Irving so we can get him for much cheaper, not both picks, maybe one pick.'”
The Lakers were said to be out of the sweepstakes for Kyrie Irving, according to a report we shared last week. However, now it’s clear that the asking price for Irving could be at an All-Time low. After all, the Nets were said to have considered waiving Irving after the recent drama for the Nets superstar.
LeBron on the Kyrie Sharing Controversial Documentary
The new comments from LeBron are a change of tone after he criticized the Nets superstar for his social media post, and while previously saying there is no place for it, spoke about the suspension being too extreme of measures. On November 4, LeBron shared the below statement about Irving’s promotion.
“I can tell you this. It’s simple. Me personally, I don’t condone any hate to any kind,” James said. “To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand. And that’s part of the reason why I didn’t air The Shop episode, why we kicked that out of the archives. Because it was hate conversation going on there,” James explained. “And I don’t represent that. There’s no place in this world for it. Nobody can benefit from that, and I believe what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people.”