Nets GM says team never considered releasing Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Memphis. Credit: AP/Brandon Dill
WASHINGTON — It’s going to take more than an apology for Kyrie Irving to rejoin the Nets.
That was one of the messages delivered by general manager Sean Marks on Friday morning as his troubled team prepared to play the Wizards that night.
After a drama-filled week in which Irving held two combative news conferences and refused to apologize for linking to an antisemitic film on his social media accounts, the Nets issued a news release Thursday night calling Irving “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets” and suspending him for at least five games without pay. Four hours later, Irving posted an apology on his Instagram account.
“The apology is a step in the right direction,” Marks said Friday. “It’s not enough.”
When asked what other steps the Nets want Irving to take, Marks said they want him to seek counseling dealing with anti-hate speech and meet with Jewish leaders in the community.
Irving, who agreed to a one-year, $36.5 million contract during the summer, will lose $2.2 million for missing the five games, and it could be more.
It also appears he could lose some significant money in endorsements. On Friday, Nike announced it was halting its partnership with Irving. It no longer will release the latest version of Irving’s sneaker, which was due to drop this month.
Last season, Irving played in only 29 games because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine he needed to play in Brooklyn. The Nets paid him for the away games he played and the home games after the vaccine mandate was modified.
Marks said the Nets never considered waiving Irving, whose market value has plummeted.
Irving has been at the center of a maelstrom since linking to the Amazon page for the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on his social media accounts before the Nets-Mavericks game on Oct. 27.
According to an ESPN report, team owner Joe Tsai initially resisted calls to punish Irving. Instead, he tried to educate him on the horrors of antisemitism, enlisting the counsel of the Anti-Defamation League. The ESPN report said Irving never returned any of his owner’s texts during this time.
The final straw came Thursday morning after NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued a news release saying the league needed to see an “unqualified apology” from Irving. An hour later, Irving held a rambling news conference in which he both declined to apologize and refused to say if he is antisemitic.
Earlier in the week, Irving took down his post and announced in a Nets news release that he would donate $500,000 to the Anti-Defamation League. After watching a video of that news conference, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted Thursday that the group would not accept Irving’s $500,000. On Friday morning, Greenblatt tweeted that Irving’s apology was “an encouraging step” but added that there is “a lot more to do to undo this damage.”
In the meantime, the Nets have been in a freefall, Friday night’s 128-86 road victory over the Wizards notwithstanding. They have lost six of their first nine games. On Tuesday, they parted ways with coach Steve Nash. Jacque Vaughn, who has been operating as interim coach as they search for a replacement, declined to comment on Irving’s suspension on Friday.
According to multiple reports, it is just a matter of time before the Nets hire Ime Udoka, who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals last season but has been suspended for this entire season by the Celtics for a violation of team policy.
On Friday morning, a weary-looking Kevin Durant called the events of the past week that led to Irving’s suspension “an unfortunate situation” that “just [stinks] all around for everybody.”
Durant, who said he hadn’t spoken to Irving since the team suspended him, initially seemed conflicted when talking about the situation with his friend.
“I ain’t here to judge nobody or talk down on nobody for how they feel, their views or anything, it’s just . . . I just didn’t like anything that went on,” Durant said. “I feel like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization. I just don’t like none of it.”
When asked if he thinks the suspension is fair, Durant said: “I believe and trust in the organization to do what’s fair.”
Shortly after the news conference, Durant tweeted a clarification of his comments. “Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused,” he tweeted. “I don’t condone hate speech or antisemitism, I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
