Richard Jefferson Calls Out Kyrie Irving For Sharing Antisemitic Movie On Twitter

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SAN ANTONIO - APRIL 25: Forward Richard Jefferson #24 and George Hill #3 of the San Antonio Spurs react during a 92-89 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on April 25, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Richard Jefferson slammed Kyrie Irving on Saturday night.

Richard Jefferson slammed Kyrie Irving while speaking on the Nets' broadcast, during the team's game on Saturday night. The former NBA star was upset with Irving promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter.

"It is disappointing," Jefferson said. "Kyrie says he's not antisemitic and these things, but the tweet is still up. The tweet is still up there. He earlier in the summer posted Alex Jones… You have to understand how you use your social media."

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 09: Richard Jefferson #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 9, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

In the original tweet, Irving linked to the Amazon page for a movie called Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The Nets shared a statement after Irving's tweet was published, condemning the post.

“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech,” the team wrote. “We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.”

Nets owner Joe Tsai also condemned the tweet in a post on his own account.

"I'm disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation," Tsai tweeted. "I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion."

After widespread backlash, Irving wrote on Twitter that he "meant no disrespect," and that being labeled antisemitic is "not justified."

"I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs," he wrote. "The 'Anti-Semitic' label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions."

Nets head coach Steve Nash said that the incident will not be a distraction for the team going forward, and that he stands by the statement put out by the organization.

Check out Richard Jefferson's comments during the Nets' game below.

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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