Kyrie Irving will likely return to the Brooklyn Nets this Sunday night after weeks without play. The NBA team suspended Irving starting November 3rd, and his return will be against the Memphis Grizzlies. Recently, Kyrie issued recurring apologies to the Jewish communities for his actions and denounced anti-Semitism.
"I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that is going against the human race," he told reporters. The 30-year-old was at a Nets shoot-around when he assumed accountability.
"I feel like we all should have an opportunity to speak for ourselves when things are assumed about us and I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions, because there was a way I should have handled all this and as I look back and reflect when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone that felt threatened or felt hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all."
Moreover, the Nets suspended Kyrie for sharing an anti-Semitic film on social media and doubling down on his support. However, since then, the former Cavalier has deleted his posts and corrected his intent. In fact, readers may remember a list of demands that the Nets gave to Kyrie. Seemingly, he met many of these, including a sit-down with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The Nets, who previously called Kyrie "unfit" to represent them, issued a statement on Sunday addressing his return.
"Kyrie took ownership of this journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community. We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way."
Irving's suspension coincided with Kanye West's controversial comments and brand terminations. While people rightfully berated the two for their dangerous rhetoric and arrogance, they opened a wider conversation on demonizing character, not action. In Kyrie's case, many criticized the demands placed on him. Also, many have called out double standards in terms of who has to answer for what, and how they have to answer. Still, many also criticize the NBA for not establishing more severe consequences.
As Kyrie gears up for his return, NBA figures like Kevin Durant and Charles Barkley still have much to say. Stay tuned to HotNewHipHop to see how Kyrie's return will fare.