Kyrie Irving’s trade value is being described as ‘radioactive,’ according to NBA insiders who spoke to ESPN’s Zach Lowe after the Brooklyn Nets star sparked accusations of anti-Semitism with a recent Twitter post.
‘I talked to a lot of people around the league over the weekend and the feeling I get right now is that he’s radioactive,’ Lowe told ESPN’s Nick Friedell on a recent podcast episode. ‘Even if you drop the price to nothing, the baggage is just too much.’
Irving sparked controversy last week after sharing an Amazon link to the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.’ The movie is based on a 2015 book by the same name, which Rolling Stone described as ‘venomously anti-Semitic.’ Specifically, it quotes Hitler to convince the audience about the existence of a Jewish plan for world domination.
Since posting the Amazon link to the film on Twitter, Irving quarreled with the media on Saturday, telling reporters ‘I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in.’ He then appeared to backtrack on Sunday by deleting the post without an explanation.
Irving was not made available to reporters after Monday’s game, but has since released a statement denying anti-Semitism. And although he stopped short of offering an apology, Irving did donate $500,000 ‘toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.’ That donation has been matched by the Nets.
Kyrie Irving’s trade value is being described as ‘radioactive,’ according to NBA insiders who spoke to ESPN’s Zach Lowe after the Brooklyn Nets star sparked accusations of anti-Semitism with a recent Twitter post.
‘I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,’ Irving said in the statement.
‘I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles.’
The tumultuous week for the Nets was only exacerbated by head coach Steve Nash’s dismissal on Tuesday amid a 2-5 start. Assistant Jacque Vaughn served as an interim head coach in Tuesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, but according to multiple reports, Nets general manager Sean Marks is interested in hiring scandalized and suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who was given a season-long ban. over allegations of an improper affair with a team staffer.
The Celtics would not prevent the Nets from hiring Udoka, according to ESPN.
The tumult has prompted many in the media to call for Irving to be traded or released. Former Nets assistant general manager Bobby Marks (no relation to Sean) said on ESPN that Irving should be fired over the controversy.
‘How many more chances is this organization going to give Kyrie Irving?’ Bobby Marks asked rhetorically. ‘Enough is enough. I’m not talking from a trade standpoint.
I understand that Ime Udoka is the last person that could maybe reign this group in, but if you’re the Brooklyn front office, send him home. You don’t need Kyrie Irving.’
The Brooklyn Nets star caught attention for publicizing the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ on social media with a link to his Amazon page
If there is a potential trade destination for Irving, a deal to the Los Angeles Lakers could make sense. LA could unload former MVP Russell Westbrook, who has struggled with his shooting, and, like Irving, is a free agent after the season. Furthermore, Irving would have the chance to reunite with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, LeBron James, with whom he won his only NBA Title in 2017.
But as Lowe said on his podcast, not even that is a possibility.
‘You want to talk about the Lakers being the most desperate team in the league,’ Lowe said. ‘Alright, the Lakers also play in a gigantic cosmopolitan city. All of the residents are following this story.
‘I just don’t know what else they’re supposed to do.’
Of course, Irving’s recent Twitter controversy isn’t the only issue surrounding the All-Star guard.
The 30-year-old raised eyebrows last month for sharing a video by conspiracy theorist Jones from 2002 to his Instagram story.
The video, entitled ‘Never Forget – Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us,’ refers to a ‘New World Order’ that would ‘release plagues’.
The Nets have parted ways with coach Steve Nash amid a brutal 2-5 start, and suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka has emerged as the favorite to replace the two-time MVP.
Fans sit courtside at Monday’s Nets game wearing T-shirts reading ‘Fight anti-Semitism’
In the video Jones said: ‘Yes there have been corrupt empires. Yes they manipulate. Yes there are secret societies. Yes, there have been oligarchies throughout history.
‘And yes, today in 2002, there is a tyrannical organization calling itself the New World Order… by releasing diseases and viruses and plagues upon us, we then basically get shoved into their system.’
The 2002 clip of Jones – ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting – was one of several videos shared with Irving’s story at the time.
He addressed Jones when speaking to reporters about his recent tweet on Saturday.
‘I do not stand with Alex Jones – position, narrative, court case that he had with Sandy Hook or any of the kids that felt like that had to relive trauma or the parents that had to relive trauma or to be dismissive to all the lives that were lost during that tragic event,’ Irving said.
‘My post was a post from Alex Jones that he did in the early ’90s or late ’90s about secret societies in America of the occult, and it’s true.’
Irving was not made available to reporters after Monday’s game, but has since released a statement denying anti-Semitism. And although he stopped short of offering an apology, Irving did donate $500,000 ‘toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.’ That donation has been matched by the Nets
Irving, who serves as vice president on the player’s association’s executive committee, has also posted videos which discussed a range of topics, including Queen Elizabeth II’s death and decolonization.
Irving is no stranger to conspiracies having long been willing to embrace theories such as the earth being flat or that the moon landing was staged.
The unvaccinated basketball star was unable to play in most of Brooklyn’s home games last season because he did not meet a New York City vaccine mandate for workplaces. The mandate has since been lifted.
In October 2021, he started following and liking Instagram posts from a conspiracy theorist who claimed that ‘secret societies’ are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect black people to a master computer for ‘a plan of Satan.’
In apologizing for his endorsement of the Flat Earth ‘theory’ back in October 2018, Irving admitted to being a conspiracy theorist.
“I was definitely at that time, “I’m a big conspiracy theorist. You can’t tell me anything.” I’m sorry about all that,’ Irving said.
Even if you believe in that, don’t come out and say that stuff. That’s for intimate conversations because perception and how you’re received, it changes. I’m actually a smart-ass individual,’ he explained, 18 months after he first told an interviewer that ‘The Earth is flat. The Earth is flat.. It’s right in front of our faces.’
If there is a potential trade destination for Irving, a deal to the Los Angeles Lakers could make sense. LA could unload former MVP Russell Westbrook (right), who has struggled with his shooting, and, like Irving, is a free agent after the season. Furthermore, Irving would have the chance to reunite with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, LeBron James (left), with whom he won his only NBA Title in 2017
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