Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai issued a statement Friday night condemning guard Kyrie Irving’s decision to promote an antisemitic film and book on his social media accounts.
“I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-Semitic disinformation,” Tsai tweeted. “I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
As Rolling Stone initially reported in an article earlier Friday, Irving promoted a movie called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” that, as the magazine points out, is “stuffed with antisemitic tropes.”
Irving posted a tweet Thursday that linked out to the film’s Amazon page. The movie, which was released in 2018, is based on a 2015 book by the same name.
“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech,” the team said in a statement Friday. “We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), who have been supportive during this time.”
Irving has not addressed the decision to promote the book and movie. The Nets play the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
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