Kyrie Irving got himself into some hot water. Ever since he shared a link to a documentary rife with antisemitism, the Nets star has been under fire from fans and colleagues alike. The Brooklyn Nets have benched him, and Nike even severed ties with Kyrie after his controversial tweet.
Despite all this, some people have come out in support of Irving. Kanye went to social media to cheer Kyrie on for following in his footsteps, and now The Game has stepped in as well. The always-opinionated rapper voiced anger at Nike for their actions following Irving's tweet.
The Game responded to a post made on The Shade Room's Instagram about Nike's decision. "Juice you for all your BLACKNESS, use you to sell everything they got then publicly LYNCH you," wrote Game. "I’m woke."
He was joined by Waka Flocka, who tagged Ice Cube and his Big 3 Basketball league. Jeweler Ben Baller also chimed in, writing, "At some point in our time there has to be a punishment maximum that cannot be exceeded for a hate crime of any kind. I get it. He f**ked up… so what’s fair? Strip him dead?"
On Friday (November 4), Nike had announced it would be ending its relationship with Irving immediately. As a consequence, the Kyrie 8 shoe, slated to be released soon, was shelved.
"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," the company wrote in a statement.
The Nets announced on Thursday (November 3) that Kyrie is suspended for five games without pay. Now, the team has announced what it would take for Irving to be allowed to play again. According to NBA reported Shams Charania, the basketball star has to apologize for and condemn the film he shared, and also donate $500,000 to anti-hate funds. Additionally, he'll have to take sensitivity and antisemitism trainings.
To prove he's realized the harm he's caused, Irving will also have to meet with the Anti Defamation League, as well as talk with team owner Joe Tsai to "demonstrate understanding."
[via]
