NBA Commissioner Adam Silver claims that he has “no doubt” that Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic following his meeting with the player.
After the two met on Tuesday, Silver said he left confident that the controversial Brooklyn Nets point guard was not full of hate.
The meeting with Irving was requested after he tweeted a link to “Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!” — an allegedly antisemitic film.
Irving later expressed regret after receiving an indefinite suspension from the Nets and receiving backlash for not apologizing to the Jewish community sooner.
In an interview with the NYT, Silver admitted the NBA and Nets should have suspended Irving sooner. “We may have been able to get there faster. I accept that criticism.”
However, he stated that the league and the Nets got the suspension correct.
It’s unclear whether Irving will be able to return to the court later this week since Brooklyn has imposed several conditions he must meet.
Additionally, Silver criticized Amazon for making the film Irving tweeted available on the company’s marketplace.
Amazon has yet to remove the film or comment on the situation.