Robin Lopez pulled a move that makes him unofficially the first active player to publicly disagree with the Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving on the promotion of his antisemitism.
While he didn’t post anything directly, he retweeted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s post. His act came hours before Irving was suspended by the Brooklyn Nets.
While much of the league’s players did remain silent even as the Nets guard’s controversy took Twitter by storm, Abdul-Jabbar wrote in his article:
If it’s happening in the news, I’m mostly likely going to comment on it… so here you go with my latest take. https://t.co/1LJ38o1Zc7
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) November 3, 2022
He captioned the post:
If it’s happening in the news, I’m mostly likely going to comment on it… so here you go with my latest take.
In the article, he wrote:
“There’s little hope that he will change because he’s insulated by fame and money and surrounded by yes-people,” the Hall of Famer opined. “There is no motivation to learn how to distinguish propaganda from facts.”
After the initial post, the NBA finally released a statement addressing the player directly. Meanwhile, the Nets suspended Irving for five games without pay.
Kyrie Irving Issues An Apology Following His Suspension
While Lopez took a more subtle approach to express his displeasure on the issue, there was a more detailed explanation by Irving as he issued an apology on Instagram.
Prior to the suspension, he spoke with reporters for the second time since retweeting the documentary, and Irving not only didn’t say he was sorry but never directly responded when asked if he had anti-Semitic beliefs. You can read his apology below:
“While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibility for my actions,” Irving wrote. “I am grateful to have a big platform, to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.
“To all Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.
“I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against anti-[Semitism] by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.”
While Lopez will suit up for Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving will now miss a few more games for the Brooklyn Nets as they gear up to face the Washington Wizards next.
