Marc Malty (11)| STAFF REPORTER
The Brooklyn Nets have looked like they are in shambles thus far in this NBA season. Following Kevin Durant’s trade request in the offseason and Ben Simmons’ mediocre return back from injury, Irving made headlines as he was suspended just 8 games into the NBA season. Irving, a very outspoken individual in the basketball community, has had a history of unavailability to play whether it be as a result of injury or controversial personal reasons.
In this instance, however, Irving had to serve an eight-game suspension which just concluded this past Sunday, November 20th as he was available against the Memphis Grizzlies. The reason for this moratorium was Irving’s tweet on November 1st which contained a link to a film with deeply anti-semitic content. Following this tweet, Irving was bashed on Twitter and issued a statement in which he refused to say that he had no anti-semitic beliefs resulting in him being given a minimum 5-game suspension.
Irving then met with Nets owner Joe Tsai and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in two successful forums where a five-step plan was put in place for Irving to complete in order to return to the team. Many players around the league thought of this as excessive including Irving’s former teammate Lebron James who tweeted:
“the floor is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him”
-Lebron James (@KingJames) November 10, 2022
Kyrie has come out publicly multiple times apologizing for his actions since the allegations of his anti-semitism commenced. In an interview with SportsNet New York, he expressed how important it was for him to repair his relationship with his Jewish brothers and sisters. Irving was very adamant that the media’s portrayal of him was false. When asked why he hadn’t apologized before the incident escalated in the same interview, he stated:
“I felt like I was protecting my character and I reacted out of just pure defense and just hurt that I could be labeled, or I thought that I was being labeled as antisemitic or anti-Jewish, and I’ve felt like that was just so disrespectful to ask me whether or not I was antisemitic or not.”
-Kyrie Irving. SportsNet New York Interview. November 19, 2022
Irving was granted permission to return back to the team the following day and contributed to the Nets’ win against the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies with 14 points. This crisis may be over but Nets fans can’t help but feel perturbed about what Kyrie’s up to next. Since signing with the team in the summer of 2019, Irving has played in 115 of a potential 266 games for the club. His tendency to put his own needs above his team’s needs has created a bad reputation for the 7-time all-star. The 30-year-old Irving seeks a new contract after the end of this season, and his history of controversial actions and selfish habits could forestall that.