Getty Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets playing against the Boston Celtics.
All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and his Brooklyn Nets squad will open up the preseason on October 3 against their conference rival Philadelphia 76ers. After an offseason filled with turmoil, Nets fans were hoping they could move on from all the off-the-court drama and focus on basketball.
But ahead of their preseason opener on Monday, Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had a strong reply to Kyrie’s decision to post a video from radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. During his rant, he refers to the Nets star as a “comical buffoon”.
“Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench,” Abdul-Jabbar said of Irving via his Substack account.
“Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes.”
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Abdul-jabbar: Kyrie Has ‘Tarnished’ Athlete Reputations
While Abdul-Jabbar spent much of his rant taking shots at the Nets star, his article was not just about diminishing Irving. He also took time to shout out the athletes he believes use their influence to “improve” society.
The Laker legend also said Irving’s decisions throughout his career have “tarnished” the reputations of the athletes that have strived to make an impact off the court.
“When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks,” Abdul-Jabbar added.
Abdul-Jabbar Slams Kyrie for Posting Alex Jones Video
In the current digital era, where an athlete’s influence can reach literally millions of people daily, even something as small as a repost can be viewed as an endorsement by an athlete. Whether it is positive or negative, everything that athletes do as public figures, has an impact in today’s society.
One of the burdens that today’s athletes bear is the responsibility of knowing the messages they spread will, in some form, have an impression on their figurative and literal followers.
Abdul-Jabbar says he believes Irving’s choice to post the video from Jones makes him even “more destructive” than before.
“Irving is back and more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly than before. He decided it would be a good idea to post a 2002 video clip from Infowars founder Alex Jones,” Abdul-Jabbar added.
“Yeah, the guy who has been on trial for denying the Sandy Hook shootings and who previously admitted in open court that he’s a performer and his onscreen persona is just a character (that bilks millions of dollars from unaware viewers).”
“The main gist of the clip is a warning about a cabal of international leaders who are secretly releasing plagues on the world from which they can profit. (Of course, we know who really profits from making this claim.)”
Irving has been under scrutiny for the majority of his Nets career. But the fact remains that as one of the best athletes in the NBA, and perhaps the world, he will always have a large platform to spread his ideas as he chooses.