Kyrie Irving Responds To Backlash For Promoting Film ‘Hebrews To Negros,’ Which Some Have Labeled ‘Antisemitic’: I’m Not Going To Stand Down On Anything I Believe In

Kryie Irving

Kyrie Irving Responds To Backlash For Promoting Film ‘Hebrews To Negros,’ Which Some Have Labeled ‘Antisemitic’: I’m Not Going To Stand Down On Anything I Believe In

NBA star Kyrie Irving is defending himself against antisemitic labels.

The Brooklyn Nets player has been the center of recent controversy after sharing a film that explains the alleged history of Black Americans and the Jewish religion. According to reports, the movie titled “Hebrews To Negros: Wake Up Black America” allegedly speaks about Jewish slave trade ships and “espouses several antisemitic tropes.” However, Kyrie Irving, 30, says this is not about antisemitism, but rather a real and true history of a distorted race of people.

Kyrie Irving

Irving’s vilification began earlier this week after he shared the Amazon documentary with his 4.6 million Twitter followers. The hoop star spoke on his decision to do so during a recent press conference where he stated:

“My name translates into Hebrew language as YHWH, so I went on Amazon prime I was like ‘let me see if there are any documentaries on YHWH’. So went in the search bar, typed in YHWH, that came up. Went out and shared it on my platform – that was my night.”

The NBA champ continued, responding directly to the backlash he’s faced as many have begun to label him antisemitic since sharing the piece. He continued:

“In terms of the backlash or what people call it – we’re in 2022, history is not supposed to be hidden from anybody. And I’m not a divisive person when it comes to religion I embrace all walks of life you see it on all my platforms….My response would be its not about educating yourself on what semitism is, what antisemitism is. It’s really about learning the root words of where these come from and understanding that this is an African heritage that is also belonging to the people. Africa is in it, whether we want to dismiss it or not.” 

Kyrie responds to his IG post of the book/film “Hebrews to Negroes” being labeled in the media as a “promotion” of “antisemetic disinformation” pic.twitter.com/0U3OrQ82yS

— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) October 30, 2022

Irving let off a round of tweets prior to the recent interview, stating he’s an omnist – someone who believes in all religions – and strongly rejects claims he’s antisemitic. In a tweet he wrote:

“I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.”

It seems the star athlete could be catching extra heat due to the recent actions of music mogul Kanye West. The “Donda” artist has gone through much turmoil as of late after conducting a series of interviews sharing his opinion on Jewish media control conspiracies. West has lost a number of deals, partnerships, and his billionaire status since.

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai began the condemnation of Irving, writing on his Twitter:

“I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. 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.”

Irving also referenced Tsai during the latest press conference interview, defending his choices despite the sports team owner’s disapproval. He stated:

“I’m not here to argue over a person or a culture or a religion and what they believe….Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody? Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people? So out of all of the judgment that people got for me posting, without talking to me, and then I respect what Joe [Tsai] said, but there has a lot to do with not ego or pride of how proud I am to be [of] African heritage, but also to be living as a free Black man here in America, knowing the historical complexities for me to get here.

Ending with:

“So I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.”

At this time Irving’s tweets have not been removed from his Twitter page.

[VIA 1,2]

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