Despite making a formal apology last night, Kyrie Irving continues to deal with the fallout from his latest controversy.
After promoting an anti-Semitic film on his social media, many people demanded an apology from the star point guard. Instead, he played word games and refused to give the fans, and the league, what they really wanted to hear.
And while most (at least publicly) have been anti-Irving, there have been a few who have come to his defense, including Nets forward Kevin Durant, who suggested his team should have just kept quiet instead of trying to get involved in a matter not related to basketball.
“I’m not here to judge somebody or talk down on the life or how they feel their views. I just didn’t like anything that went on. I felt like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization.”
“This is the way the #NBA is now, media, so many outlets now and their stories hit pretty fast now. So that’s where all the chaos is coming from. Everybody has an opinion on the situation, and we’re hearing it nonstop.”
After receiving some backlash for the statement, Durant was forced to clarify his words and his beliefs in a post on Twitter.
Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused..I don’t condone hate speech or anti-semetism, I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront
Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused..I don’t condone hate speech or anti-semetism, I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) November 4, 2022
What’s Next For The Nets After Kyrie Irving’s Latest Scandal?
Obviously, the situation is volatile — but it could have been a whole lot worse. Surprisingly, Kyrie actually apologized in a fully typed-out statement and even pledged to donate half a million dollars to anti-hate causes. Unfortunately for Kyrie, it seems like it’s not enough for the Nets to take back his five-game suspension.
When he does return to the lineup, who knows where the Nets will be? They could be on the brink of collapse or maybe in a better state than they’re in now. Either way, they remain the most unpredictable team in the league.
