Kyrie Irving's Unrepentant Antisemitism and his Profiting from Chinese Human Rights Abuses Are Ignored by Most Media Outlets
Kyrie Irving arrived to game two of the NBA Finals carrying a keffiyeh. This is not the first time that Irving has displayed a keffiyeh at an NBA game; regardless of what the garment may have represented in the past, what it represents now is support for Hamas' October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack against Israel, and Hamas' declaration of its intent to perpetrate such attacks "again and again and again" until Israel is destroyed. Irving has also worn a necklace with a map of Israel covered by a Palestinian flag, and after the October 7 attack he has been silent about Jewish victims but instead posted to social media, "Where are all you tough talking Media Heads
that get on TV and social platforms to condemn people who stand by the
oppressed?? Crimes are being committed against humanity and most of you
are silent. Cat got your tongue? Or you’re afraid of actually standing
for something real." Thus, Irving not only blatantly ignores the full dimension of the atrocities committed by Hamas, but he falsely accuses Israel of war crimes while advocating--via the symbols he proudly wears--the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state (i.e., advocating genocide of Jews). Anti-Zionism is antisemitism, and Irving is a raving anti-Zionist who is not criticizing specific Israeli policies but rather advocating that Israel be destroyed and replaced by a Palestinian Arab state.
Further, during a January 2024 game Irving demanded that a Jewish fan take down a Jewish pride sign. Irving exercises his freedom to express whatever hate-filled vitriol is floating through his head while also seeking to repress other people's freedom of expression.
It would be considered unacceptable for an NBA player to deny the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade, or to post social media comments making false allegations against Black people, so it is also unacceptable for an NBA player to openly display antisemitism--and Irving's conduct documented above demonstrates that he is antisemitic.
Irving has the right to wear or display whatever garments he wants to wear/display, but the NBA also has a right--and an obligation--to make clear where it stands. The NBA has been very vocal about supporting Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights, and other selected causes, so its silence about surging antisemitism is noteworthy and disturbing. The Mavericks' majority owner, Miriam Adelson, is Jewish, as is minority owner Mark Cuban, and it is disappointing that using Irving's talents to try to win an NBA title is apparently more important to them than the deplorable stances that Irving takes regarding the Jewish people and Israel.
On top of Irving's unrepentant antisemitism, he and many other NBA players promote shoes that are made by Chinese companies that use slave laborers. The NBA is demonstrating that it cares more about profits than human rights, and that extends to the disparate treatment that team owners receive after engaging in misconduct or presiding over a workplace with rampant misconduct; thus, Mark Cuban fared better than Robert Sarver, who fared better than Donald Sterling.
I have often written about racism and the Civil Rights Movement, and I have drawn attention to movies like "Black Magic" that powerfully describe history that must never be forgotten. I have written about Chinese human rights abuses, as noted above. Collectively, the Jewish people have been vocal supporters of the Civil Rights Movement, and some Jews paid the ultimate price for such support. Jews spoke out for Blacks because it is the right thing to do, without expecting anything in return--but the widespread and growing antisemitism in the Black community, as reflected in the support that Irving receives in the Black community for his antisemitism, is very disappointing.
Between games one and two of the NBA Finals, Vince Goodwill asked Boston Coach Joe Mazzulla a rambling, incoherent questions about Black NBA coaches, and then Goodwill wrote a rambling, incoherent column after Mazzulla failed to take the (race) bait. Does Goodwill's attempted foray into social advocacy extend to antisemitism and to Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims, or does he specialize in selective outrage calculated to bring maximum attention to himself? I have mixed feelings about giving Goodwill the attention that he craves, but he is already a national media figure, so calling him out for failing to ask the most important questions is important even if that gives him more attention.
Goodwill is not alone in his selective approach regarding bigotry and persecution. Will Brian Windhorst, Dave McMenamin, Mike Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, or any of the other national media members covering the NBA Finals report about Irving's antisemitism and Irving's promotion of shoes built by Chinese companies that are flagrant abusers of human rights?
Labels: China, Dallas Mavericks, Hamas, Israel, Kyrie Irving
posted by David Friedman @ 8:11 PM
1 Comments:
The NBA has been a joke for several reasons for several years now. But the bigger issue unfortunately is that it continues to be ok to be racist against Jews. If there's any organization and team as the NBA commissioner and Dallas owner being Jewish that would obviously reprimand Irving accordingly, it'd be the Irving's current situation and nothing is happening.
Thankfully, Irving wasn't able to 'save the day' in game 3 after Doncic committed several late-game bonehead fouls. Irving has had his moments in this year's playoffs, but has had several mediocre-at-best games, too. He's a good player, but not an elite player and never has been either. And let's not forget how he/Doncic finished 11th in the West last year and couldn't even make the play-in game.
Post a Comment
<< Home