Kyrie Irving has faced backlash for tweeting out a link to a film filled with antisemitic tropes, but one NBA analyst is also aiming criticism at Irving’s colleagues.
During the TNT broadcast of Tuesday night’s game between the Bulls and Nets, Reggie Miller expressed disappointment in NBA players for failing to speak out on the Irving situation.
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The Hall of Famer, who was calling the game alongside play-by-play broadcaster Brian Anderson, said that the league’s players have called out controversial figures such as Donald Sterling and Robert Sarver in the past, so they should react to Irving’s actions in a similar fashion.
Here are Miller’s comments (via the New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel):
In years past, this league has been great because the players have led the way and they have strong voices. When Donald Sterling stepped in it, when Robert Sarver just recently stepped in it, our voices in the basketball community and our players were vocally strong in some type of discipline being handed down — or be gone.
The players have dropped the ball on this case when it’s been one of their own. It’s been crickets. And it’s disappointing, because this league has been built on the shoulders of the players being advocates. Right is right and wrong is wrong. And if you’re gonna call out owners, and rightfully so, then you’ve got to call out players as well. You can’t go silent in terms of this for Kyrie Irving. I want to hear the players and their strong opinions as well, just as we heard about Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling.
The National Basketball Players Association released a statement in response to Irving’s tweet, but it did not mention him by name. Irving serves as a vice president on the NBPA executive committee.
“Antisemitism has no place in our society,” the statement said. “The NBPA is focused on creating an environment where everyone is accepted. We are committed to helping players fully understand that certain words can lead to hateful ideologies being spread.
“We will continue to work on identifying and combating all hate speech wherever it arises.”
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The NBA also didn’t include Irving’s name in its statement, saying that “hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA’s values of equality, inclusion and respect.”
Irving eventually deleted the tweet that included the link to the film, but the Nets have not made him available to speak to reporters since a fiery press conference that took place on Saturday night.
After the Nets’ loss to the Pacers, the 30-year-old guard declared that he would not “stand down on anything that I believe in.”
“I’m not here to argue over a person or a culture or a religion or what they believe,” Irving said. “Nah, this is what’s here. It’s on a public platform. 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?”
Irving and the Nets will next play on Friday in Washington. It is unclear if Irving will have any media sessions before that game.
