Kyrie Irving Got Asked If He Is Antisemitic And Went To Great Lengths To Avoid Answering The Question

Kyrie Irving met with the media on Thursday afternoon for the first time since his combative press conference where he refused to denounce an antisemitic film he posted to his Twitter account. While Irving has since deleted the tweet and pledged $500,000 alongside the Brooklyn Nets to organizations that look to eradicate hate, a big, lingering question that exists is whether or not Irving understands the gravity of the situation.

The answer appears to be no. Irving was asked, point blank, if he holds any antisemitic beliefs, and at no point did the word “no” leave his mouth.

“Again, I’m gonna repeat, I don’t know how the label becomes justified, because you guys ask me the same questions over and over again, but this is not gonna turn into a spin around cycle, questions upon questions,” Irving said. “Told you guys how I felt, I respect all walks of life and embrace all walks of life. That’s where I sit.”

When asked, point blank, if he would say yes or no to that question, Irving said, “I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.” Irving was asked about meeting with the Anti-Defamation League, something the Nets indicated he would do in a statement the team released a day prior, and he did not say if he has. And when he was asked about how NBA commissioner Adam Silver wanted to see him explicitly apologize, Irving once again sidestepped the question.

There is no word on when Irving will speak to the media next. Silver said in his statement that he will meet with Irving next week.