Reports: Brooklyn Nets outline six items Kyrie Irving must complete to return to court
The recent controversies surrounding Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving have resulted in the NBA taking a rather stern stance against him. However, as per a report by The Athletic's Shams Charania, there is hope for him to make amends.
Irving has gained a lot of attention for being a bit of a "free-thinker" among the ranks of NBA players. While this has seen him take a strong stance on matters regarding social justice in the past, Irving has faced a lot of backlash for recent actions.
After tweeting about a movie that propagated antisemitic sentiments, the Brooklyn Nets guard has seen several fans along with the basketball community turn against him.
While the Nets attempted to mitigate this issue by donating to charitable causes, the NBA felt the need to step in. While Irving eventually apologized for his actions, he did so after being suspended.
With Nets owner Joe Tsai and NBA commissioner Adam Silver condemning Irving's actions, the superstar guard found himself out of the league. Additionally, with reports mentioning that Nike also suspended their relationship with Irving, he certainly found himself in a rough spot.
However, there is some hope for Irving to redeem himself. As per a recent report by Shams Charania, the Brooklyn Nets have given Kyrie Irving a list of items that he must complete to facilitate his return to the team.
Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:
- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding
With a list of items in place, Irving has a plan of action laid out in front of him. Considering that the Nets had already put forward an idea for donating $500K, Irving finds himself in the right position.
However, the mention of tasks such as sensitivity training and antisemitic training only encapsulates the gravity of the matter. With Irving's tweet resulting in grave consequences, the superstar continues to face the full consequences of his actions.
The NBA turns its back on Kyrie Irving
While the order of suspension from the Brooklyn Nets may have been bad enough, Kyrie Irving faces ostracization from within the NBA fraternity as well.
Several fans and analysts have compared the situation to that of former NBA center Meyers Leonard. After Leonard was also pulled for making antisemitic remarks, he found himself out of the league almost immediately. In this regard, several expect Irving to receive the same kind of treatment.
Kyrie Irving hasn't received much love from within the basketball community in this regard. Former teammate LeBron James also spoke about Irving's post during a post-game presser. James made a clear statement condemning Irving's actions.
LeBron James on Kyrie Irving, says he doesn’t condone Irving’s post and that what he said was harmful to a lot of people. https://t.co/hqrKZE08Lw
To make matters worse, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant took a neutral stance when asked about the situation during an interview. Following Durant's comments on the matter, the star received a significant amount of backlash for taking no stance.
This resulted in a follow-up statement condemning all kinds of hate speech. Subsequently, the sudden change-up also garnered a lot of attention.
The situation with the Brooklyn Nets at the moment appears complicated to say the least. However, the team has appeared fairly solid with Kyrie Irving off the floor.
Having won two games in a row, the Nets may be on a roll as they enter the post-Steve Nash era.