After reportedly meeting with Kyrie Irving this week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered his first public comments Thursday regarding the Nets star in the wake of his recent suspension for promoting an antisemitic film on social media.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Silver spoke optimistically about his Tuesday meeting with Irving at the league’s headquarters in Manhattan. Silver shared that the two had “a direct and candid conversation” after which the commissioner said he felt Irving was not antisemitic but declined to elaborate on the chat due to an agreement with Irving to keep the details private.
“He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antisemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group,” Silver told the Times.
The Nets suspended Irving indefinitely without pay Nov. 3 after he repeatedly refused to apologize for promoting the documentary, Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, on Twitter. Irving later apologized for his actions on Instagram hours after news of the suspension broke. The team has since released a list of items Irving needs to satisfy in order to return to the court, which includes a public apology to the media and sensitivity training.
The NBA and Nets faced public scrutiny for the amount of time it took to discipline Irving, a criticism Silver told the Times he accepts. However, Silver noted that, while he feels the NBA “got to the right outcome,” part of the reason for the delay had to do with the film requiring the league to “do a bit of work and research to understand” what Irving posted.
“In retrospect, we may have been able to get there faster. I accept that criticism. But I felt it was important to understand the context in which it was posted to understand what discipline was appropriate, not in any way to excuse it but to understand what discipline was appropriate,” said Silver, per the Times.
The NBA commissioner is “working cooperatively with Kyrie and his representatives trying to come up with a plan for remedial action.”
