Getty Kyrie Irving (left), formerly of the Brooklyn Nets.
Kyrie Irving‘s unwillingness to apologize for promoting a film featuring antisemitic tropes has tainted the Brooklyn Nets star’s future in the NBA, according to a survey of 11 unidentified general managers in The Athletic.
“I think Kyrie might not play in the NBA again,” one GM said to Sam Amick for the article published November 7.
Several of the executives surveyed slightly disagreed, saying that though they wouldn’t sign Irving, there are teams who would give him a contract.
“There’s always going to be a team that’s desperate enough to sell their soul for the guy on a short-term deal, thinking they have the right leadership in place to handle him,” another NBA executive said. “I think whatever happens with him, it’s gonna be one-year deals from here on out. I don’t think anybody gives him a long-term deal.”
NBA GM on Kyrie Irving:
“I think Kyrie might not play in the NBA again,” 😳
(Via @sam_amick t.co/ZsA9RlhfQV)
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Nets Gave Irving Tasks in Hopes of ‘Outright Release’
Since tweeting a link to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on October 27, Irving has been dealing with backlash. First, he refused owner Joe Tsai’s plea that he publicly apologize and, according to a November 4 report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, repeatedly ignored Tsai’s text messages. So, the Nets suspended him for at least five games.
Then, on November 5, the Nets placed stipulations on Irving’s return to action, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted.
“Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:
– Apologize/condemn movie
– $500K donation to anti-hate causes
– Sensitivity training
– Antisemitic training
– Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
– Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding”
Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:
– Apologize/condemn movie
– $500K donation to anti-hate causes
– Sensitivity training
– Antisemitic training
– Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
– Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding
However, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, some people believe the Nets curated the list of tasks with the thought that Irving would fail to complete them, giving them a reason to release him from his contract.
“There is growing pessimism in various corners of the league that Kyrie Irving will ever play for the Nets again,” Stein wrote on November 7. “After initially moving so slowly to sanction Irving for his ongoing support of a movie widely regarded as anti-Semitic, and described Thursday by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as containing ‘vile and harmful content,’ Brooklyn has gone the other way. Assembling a list of what the team terms six “remedial measures” that must be completed before Irving can be reinstated.
“There is a feeling among some close to the process, I’m told, that the list was crafted with the knowledge that Irving would be unlikely to complete all six and thus could conceivably subject himself to potential outright release,” Stein wrote on his Substack.
There’s a ‘feeling’ that Brooklyn’s remedial measures list was crafted with the knowledge that Kyrie Irving would be unlikely to complete all six items and could lead to a potential outright release 😳
(Via @TheSteinLine t.co/0zjxUVFcWy)
Steve Nash to Visit With Hornets
After head coach Steve Nash and the Nets mutually agreed to part ways earlier this month, many wondered what would be next for the Hall of Famer. Nash was hired for the Nets job without any prior coaching experience — not even as an assistant — so there was skepticism about whether he would be offered another job in the near future.
Nash did, however, have experience as a consultant. He spent time in that position with the Golden State Warriors for several seasons. After he departed from Brooklyn, Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, who was on the Nets staff last season, asked Nash to visit with his team for a few days in a consultant role.
“I’m going to try to get him to come down, spend a few days with us and kind of watch and give me his thoughts on things here,” Clifford told reporters via NetsDaily.
“Nobody handles issues better than he does. We talked on the phone for a while and five minutes into the conversation, he’s asking me about our injuries. That’s just how he is.”
The Nets will have an opportunity to get back on track in their next game against the New York Knicks.