Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is ‘grateful’ to fans for voting him No. 1 among Eastern Conference guards in NBA All-Star voting… despite a controversial year which saw him suspended for sharing an anti-Semitic film and dropped by Nike
Nets star Kyrie Irving has promised to put on a show for fans after they voted him No. 1 among guards in the Eastern Conference for the NBA All-Star Game.
The 30-year-old, who was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, is a starter alongside Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt.
Irving ranked No. 1 among players and fans but No. 4 on the media ballot and following Thursday’s loss to the Pistons, Irving was quick to show his gratitude to fans for voting him into his eighth All-Star game.
Kyrie Irving thanked fans for their support as he topped fan voting for Eastern All-Star guards
Irving ranked No. 1 among fellow players and among fans in the 2023 NBA All-Star voting
‘I’m more than grateful and I don’t take any of these achievements for granted because this is my eighth one,’ he said.
I’m just grateful for the people at home. I wouldn’t be here without y’all. Y’all voted me in, and I’m ready to give a show.’
On the court Irving has dazzled this season. He put up 40 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in Thursday’s loss to the Pistons and is averaging 27.2 points for the season.
But it is still something of a surprise that he remains such a fan’s favorite after he endured backlash and criticism for posting a link to a controversial film that contained anti-Semitic tropes.
The Brooklyn Nets star caught the attention for publicizing the 2018 film which is based on a book of the same name that has been described as ‘venomously anti-Semitic’
In October, Irving shared a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 production ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ which contained anti-Semitic tropes.
Irving was suspended by the Nets for a minimum of five games, after he initially refused to apologize and said he had no anti-Semitic beliefs when meeting with reporters at the Nets’ practice facility.
The anti-Semitism row even led to sportswear giant Nike ending its partnership with the embattled star.
Irving, who is in the final year of his Nets contract, eventually offered a belated apology following his suspension and apologized again to the Jewish community.
After missing eight games through suspension, his second apology paved the way for his return to the court. Last season he played just 29 games due to remaining unvaccinated against Covid – and a city mandate in Brooklyn requiring vaccination to enter the Barclays Center.
Now Irving, who earned more than 4.4 million fan votes in the All-Star voting process, paid tribute to the ‘community power’ that saw him top the charts.
The anti-Semitism row led to sportswear giant Nike ending its partnership with Irving
Irving remains incredibly popular among fans and he has promised to put on a show for them
‘It just shows the community power of what I’ve been able to build over time,’ he said.
‘International community voting, obviously this community here in America but I feel like I’ve put in enough work to be deserving this year and I just want to let my work speak for itself.’
Irving and teammate Kevin Durant have both been selected as 2023 NBA All-Star starters.
For Irving this is his sixth All-Star Game starter pick, including each of his last five All-Star selections in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Irving, who won the 2014 All-Star Game MVP, has played 36 times for the Nets this season, registering 30 points or more 13 times.
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