Kyrie Irving On Antisemitism Accusations: “I’m Not Anti-Jewish”

Kyrie Irving says that he harbors no hate for the Jewish community amid allegations of antisemitism. The Brooklyn Nets recently suspended the star point guard for sharing a link to a documentary that is considered antisemitic.

Irving addressed the incident while speaking with SNY’s Ian Begley for an interview on Saturday. During the talk, he apologized to the Jewish community as well as his family and friends.

“I don’t have hate in my heart for the Jewish people or anyone that identifies as a Jew. I’m not anti-Jewish or any of that,” he told the outlet. “And it’s been difficult to sit at home with my family, with them seeing all of this and having questions. You know, the part that’s been the hardest is explaining myself, because I know who I am and I know what I represent.”

He continued: “But I think the difficult aspect is just processing all of this, understanding the power of my voice, the influence I have. I’m no one’s idol, but I am a human being that wants to make impact and change. I’m sorry not only to the Jewish community, but to my family members and my relatives, because they know I stand for something bigger.”

While Irving was originally suspended for five games, he’s missed several more than that at this point. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the team will be welcoming him back to the court on Sunday.

Check out a clip of Irving’s latest comments with SNY below.