Kyrie Irving is currently in the midst of controversy due to his posting a link to the movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on his Twitter account. The movie has anti-Semitic content within, and it is easy to see why a lot of people are offended by his actions.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took to his Substack and delivered his take on Kyrie Irving’s actions. He pointed out that “there’s little hope” that Kyrie Irving will end up changing his ways, adding that the world has to “decide how it should respond to him.”
The Nets finally forced Irving to acknowledge the damage he’s done and donate $500,000 to groups opposing hate speech. In his statement you can almost hear his arm being twisted: “I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day. I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility.” But there was no explicit apology—which tells us everything about what he really believes.
Honestly, there’s little hope that he will change because he’s insulated by fame and money and surrounded by yes-people. There is no motivation to learn how to distinguish propaganda from facts. All that’s left is for the world to decide how it should respond to him.
For more of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s thoughts on Kyrie Irving, visit his Substack here
There is no doubt that Kyrie Irving has been part of plenty of controversies during his time with the Brooklyn Nets. It remains to be seen how he continues to deal with the fallout from his actions, and it seems as though he has already donated $500,000 to the Anti-Defamation League to try and atone for his mistakes.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has Previously Criticized Kyrie Irving
This isn’t the first time that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has taken shots at Kyrie Irving. In fact, he has previously claimed that Kyrie Irving is a “comical buffoon” for reposting a conspiracy theory video from Alex Jones.
Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes. When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, 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.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is known as a player who often speaks out on social issues, and it is unsurprising that he’s elected to call out Kyrie Irving multiple times. It is quite likely that he will continue to do so when he sees fit.
Hopefully, we will see Kyrie Irving refrain from reposting material that involves anti-Semitic content in the future. There’s no doubt that this situation wasn’t a good look for the point guard, and he has received plenty of criticism about the situation.
