Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving will not lose his NBA career over his most recent controversy ... so says Julius Erving -- who tells TMZ Sports there's just no way teams won't give him another chance.

"The owners are greedy," Dr. J said out at LAX this weekend. "He's going to end up in the league playing for somebody, no matter how toxic he is."

There are many in Association circles that would disagree -- with some believing after he tweeted a link to an antisemitic film and then refused to apologize over it for several days, he's too radioactive to the roster at this point.

But, Erving -- an NBA legend -- tells us he believes that's just simply not the case.

"As long as he's young enough to score those buckets, and do what he does, be Kyrie, he's going have a job," he said.

Irving is currently serving a suspension from the Brooklyn Nets over it all that the team says will last at least five games -- although no one within the org. has guaranteed he'll be back with the team this year.

Erving clearly believes if the Nets somehow cut ties with the point guard, his career would resume elsewhere -- and it would do so fairly quickly.

Ultimately, the former 76ers star gave Irving some advice going forward.

Kyrie Irving may have gotten suspended for promoting a movie based on antisemitic themes, but there's still a large platform that's not only carrying the movie, it's making a profit as well.

"Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" is listed on Amazon for users to rent at $10.99 or purchase for $48.99. We've reached out to Amazon, asking if the company has any plans to limit access or remove the film altogether, and have gotten no response.

While the criticism Kyrie has received for promoting, and at first, refusing to denounce the antisemitism in the film has been justified ... there's been little to no public outcry for Amazon to yank the flick.

In fact, Amazon's listing for the film even includes a "Watch and chat with others" feature -- which it does make available for other TV/movies -- but it just makes it that much easier for the hate to spread.

What's more -- on Friday, both the Brooklyn Nets and Anti-Defamation League asked Jeff Bezos and the leaders at Amazon to remove the movie.

As we reported, Kyrie is currently serving at least a 5 game suspension after the Brooklyn Nets said Thursday, "We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity - but failed - to clarify."

Just a few hours after the Nets announcement, Kyrie attempted another apology, saying, "To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post ... I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize."

Nike is pressing pause on its endorsement deal with Kyrie Irving ... and now his signature shoe is being shelved.

The shoe giant announced Friday it was suspending its business relationship with the NBA star, explaining ... "At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism."

Nike also says it will no longer launch the Kyrie 8 basketball shoe, adding ... "We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."

As you know ... Kyrie's faced a ton of backlash ever since tweeting out a link to an antisemitic film last week.

Nike isn't the first to come down on Irving. The Nets announced Thursday they were suspending him at least 5 games after he refused to outright apologize for promoting the film. The Nets said Kyrie will not be allowed to play for the club again until he "satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct."

The point guard finally issued a lengthy mea culpa on his social media after being suspended, but folks are questioning his sincerity.

Kevin Durant thinks the Brooklyn Nets should have shut up and let Kyrie Irving dribble ... saying the organization should have not gotten involved in his teammate's antisemitism controversy.

He does, however, say he trusts the organization to make the right decision when asked about Kyrie's 5-game suspension.

KD spoke with the media on Friday about the Nets' decision to punish Kyrie over inadequately addressing the decision to post a link to a movie riddled with antisemitic beliefs ... and he feels like it was none of the team's business.

"I ain't here to judge nobody or talk down on the life or how they feel with their views and things," Durant said. "I just didn't like anything that went on. I felt like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization."

Durant also took a jab at the media ... saying outlets were quick to spark outrage after Kyrie posted the tweet.

"Everybody has an opinion on the situation, and we're hearing it nonstop."

As we previously reported, Kyrie has been under fire for several missed opportunities to apologize and denounce antisemitism ... which resulted in his suspension and a fiery statement from NBA commish Adam Silver.

The Nets also voiced their dissatisfaction when handing down the suspension ... saying, "Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team."

Kyrie eventually released his latest attempt at a mea culpa on Thursday ... which still wasn't enough for some critics.

Nets GM Sean Marks spoke about Irving's most recent comments on Friday ... saying it's a "step," but there's still more that needs to be done.

Marks also said the Nets never considered waiving Irving ... but it's clear the team is not happy.

Kyrie Irving is finally apologizing for tweeting out a link to an antisemitic film ... though many fans are questioning the sincerity of the Brooklyn Nets star's mea culpa.

The 30-year-old wrote out the "I'm sorry" in a lengthy post on his Instagram page late Thursday night -- one week after he promoted the film "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

He began by admitting he made a mistake in pedaling a movie that contained "anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion."

He then apologized to people of Jewish faith for his actions -- something he had refused to explicitly do despite having multiple opportunities in the days after he pressed "send" on his tweet.

"To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post," he wrote, "I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize."

Some have found the line to be insincere -- believing it to be nothing more than "I'm sorry if I offended you" rhetoric.

Kyrie then apologized for not explaining the parts of the documentary that he actually agreed with ... another line with which fans took umbrage -- considering the entire film is laced with antisemitic tropes.

Finally, Irving wrote, "I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate." Some have blasted him for this comment as well. The question -- is he really acknowledging the Holocaust happened, or is he saying he's sorry he offended Jewish belief that it happened?  There's a huge difference between the two.

Irving's apology came just hours after the Nets announced the point guard would be suspended for at least five games over the situation. The team said in a statement he will not be allowed to play for the org. again until he "satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct."

The Nets have suspended Kyrie Irving for at least 5 games after the team says the NBA superstar repeatedly failed to fully apologize for promoting an antisemitic film, with the org. saying he's "currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

The team released a statement Thursday night announcing the move ... a week after the 30-year-old, 7x NBA All-Star tweeted about a film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

“Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate," the Nets said.

"We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.”

The Anti-Defamation League says the "film promotes beliefs commonly found among antisemitic and extremist factions of the BHI movement."

However, despite the joint statement Wednesday night where Irving acknowledged hurting the Jewish community and pledging $1 million ($500K from Kyrie, Nets), many people, including commissioner Adam Silver were unmoved by Kyrie's words.

On Thursday, he met with members of the media, and again refused to directly apologize.

“We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity — but failed — to clarify.”

This morning's media session was clearly the last straw for the franchise ... which has been struggling on the court, as well.

“Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

FYI, Brooklyn has one of the largest Jewish populations in America.

The Nets continued ... "We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”

The Nets will play the Washington Wizards Friday night in D.C. Irving will not be on the floor. If he serves the minimum suspension, he'd be eligible to return against the Lakers on November 13th in Los Angeles.

But, given Kyrie's hesitation to say sorry, that's a giant IF.

Kyrie Irving is acknowledging the hurt he caused the Jewish community when he promoted a movie containing antisemitic ideas, saying he "meant no harm" ... and to prove he's serious, the NBA star says he'll donate $500K to fight hate.

The 30-year-old Brooklyn Nets star Tweeted a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" last week ... and despite almost immediate backlash, Irving refused to back down, standing by his actions.

That is until Wednesday evening ... when the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie released a statement apologizing and announcing the large monetary donation.

“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day," Kyrie said.

"I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles."

The 7x NBA All-Star continued ... "I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light."

Worth noting -- Kyrie does not flat-out say "I'm sorry," or, "I apologize" ... which has some people saying his statement and donation isn't enough.

Irving stopped short of completely condemning the ideas in the movie ... but it's certainly a big departure from his previous position.

Prior to tonight's announcement, Irving was getting destroyed everywhere from on TV, to social media, and even at Barclays. In fact, a group of fans protested Kyrie earlier this week ... wearing shirts that read "FIGHT ANTISEMITISM."

Brooklyn is home to one of the country's largest Jewish populations.

As for the money, the Nets are also chipping in 500 grand ... bringing the total to $1 million. The organization says they'll divide the cash among "causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities."

The team also says they'll work with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) -- which fights antisemitism -- to "develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is unleashing on Kyrie Irving ... saying the Brooklyn Nets star's attempted mea culpa for sharing a link to a movie laden with antisemitic beliefs was a complete disappointment.

The commish addressed the controversy in a statement on Thursday ... and he didn't hold back.

"Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material," Silver -- who is Jewish -- said.

"While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize."

As we previously reported, Kyrie made a $500k donation to "eradicate hate" on Wednesday ... but stopped short of completely denouncing the contents of the "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" project.

"I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles," Irving said in the statement ... but did not clarify what parts he was distancing himself from.

Former NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire -- who converted to Judaism in 2020 -- wants Kyrie Irving to own up to his actions and apologize for tweeting out a link to a movie filled with antisemitic rhetoric ... saying the Brooklyn Nets guard made a mistake.

STAT addressed the controversy surrounding Irving on ESPN’s "Get Up" Wednesday morning ... saying, "You have to give an apology because if you’re going to promote a documentary that has false allegations inside of it, and you may not understand that these allegations that’s inside the documentary are false, okay, you made a mistake, right? So apologize for it."

39-year-old Stoudemire says Kyrie created a problem by not expressing any regret over the situation ... and is giving the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver no choice but to look into it.

"I think something has to happen, intensive conversations with the commissioner about what he’s doing and what his plans are as a basketball player."

As for whether Kyrie should be suspended over the whole ordeal, Amar'e -- who previously served as an assistant for the Nets -- is on the fence.

"I mean, Kyrie’s a guy who’s trying to find himself," he added. "He’s always on this quest for learning and information. And if you’re not totally understanding what you’re learning and what you’re trying to promote, then just don’t promote it. Just learn quietly and try to figure it out."

"But once you start putting information out there that’s not true, then now it creates a problem."

Amar'e has gone after Irving in the past ... saying the guard's decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine affected the team's chemistry.

Irving has been at the center of criticism for how he's handled the backlash ... with both Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal calling him an "idiot" on TNT's "Inside The NBA."

Nike -- Kyrie's biggest sponsor -- released a statement regarding the matter ... denouncing hate speech of any kind.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Swoosh said on Tuesday.

TMZ Sports spoke with Amar'e about antisemitism back in 2020 ... when the six-time All-Star told us he wanted to "bridge the gap" between Black and Jewish people after comments made by Nick Cannon and NFLer DeSean Jackson -- for which they apologized.

Charles Barkley says the NBA flubbed its handling of the most recent Kyrie Irving drama ... explaining Tuesday night he believes the league should've suspended the Nets star over his controversial tweet.

Barkley didn't mince words while talking about the situation on "Inside the NBA" -- calling Irving an "idiot" ... and blasting the Association for not dropping the hammer on the point guard.

"I think Adam [Silver] should have suspended him," Barkley said. "First of all, Adam is Jewish -- you can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion. You gonna insult me, you have the right, but I have the right to say, ‘You can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion.'"

"I think the NBA, they made a mistake."

Of course, Silver did not level punishment on Irving ... despite the basketball player tweeting out a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a movie packed with antisemitic rhetoric.

Irving never apologized for sharing it ... and, in fact, two days after sending the tweet, he got into a tiff with a reporter who had suggested he had been "promoting" the film on his platform.

Irving did, though, eventually take down the tweet. He also said in a separate tweet he is not antisemitic.

But, Barkley's co-host, Shaq, had issues with it all as well ... calling Irving an "idiot" too.

Meanwhile, during TNT's broadcast of the Nets vs. Bulls game ... Reggie Miller, who was commentating the game, said he was disappointed there was not a vocal outcry from players in the league over it all.

Kevin Durant is getting what he wanted this offseason -- the Brooklyn Nets have fired head coach Steve Nash ... after a 2-5 start.

48-year-old Nash was hired back in September 2020 ... and was 94-67 at the helm.

Of course, Durant gave the Nets an ultimatum back in June ... saying he wanted to either be traded or have Nash and general manager Sean Marks gone.

He later agreed to stay in BK ... with both sides saying they would "move forward with our partnership."

Nash recently had a meltdown against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 26 ... where he was ejected in the third quarter.

The Nets went 48-24 in 2021, 44-38 in 2022 ... and 2-5 this season under Nash.

Kyrie Irving previously made shocking comments about Nash in September 2020 ... when he claimed the Nets didn't have a real head coach.

There were reports this summer that Kyrie hated Nash ... and thought he was a terrible head coach.

Nash released a statement minutes ago ... saying, "It was an amazing experience with many challenges that I'm incredibly grateful for."

"It was a pleasure to work with the players, performance team, and front office every day," he added. "I'm especially grateful to my coaching staff and video room who are a talented group with so much character and professionalism."

"Lastly, thanks to Brooklyn and the passionate fans who support this team. Family first and my family has found a home here and LOVES being a part of this beautiful community. I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the Nash's will be rooting for our team as they turn this season around."

The firing comes as the team deals with distractions off the court as well ... after Kyrie came under fire for posting a link to a movie that has been criticized for spreading what many consider antisemitic beliefs.

Jacque Vaughn will serve as interim head coach starting Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls.

Several fans had a strong message for the Brooklyn Nets amid Kyrie Irving's backlash for posting about an antisemitic movie on social media -- donning yarmulkes and "fight antisemitism" shirts while sitting courtside at the game.

The group sat near the Indiana bench during the Pacers vs. Nets matchup in Brooklyn ... and Kyrie reportedly acknowledged them by making a thumbs-up gesture.

One of the fans claims Irving spoke to them during the contest ... saying he was "grateful for you guys," although they felt it was in a sarcastic tone, according to the New York Post.

The fan said the shirts were a message for the Nets ... adding the team should cut ties with Irving.

The move comes on the heels of Kyrie's decision to tweet out a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a movie that has been accused of being filled with stereotypes and tropes.

Kyrie defended the move ... saying he "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," he added. "I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions."

Joe Tsai -- the owner of the Nets -- spoke out against Irving's post ... saying he was disappointed in the superstar's decision to share the project.

Tsai also said he wanted to meet with Irving to help him understand why his actions were hurtful.

Kanye West -- who is also facing his own backlash -- commented on Kyrie's actions ... calling him a "real one."

As for the game, the Nets won 116-109 ... with Irving earning 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

He did not speak with the media after the contest.

Kyrie Irving is the latest celeb being accused of antisemitism after promoting a movie that some say is full of stereotypes and tropes -- but the guy's saying he's being misunderstood.

The Nets star got slammed Friday for tweeting a link to a movie called ... "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" which is on Amazon. It's a controversial piece to say the least ... leaning into extreme ideology from certain factions of Black Hebrew Israelites.

The whole idea behind this is that Black people actually have Jewish roots themselves -- and are, in fact, the "chosen people of God" as opposed to Jews of European descent. Like we said ... highly inflammatory, but it's a train of thought several celebs have embraced in recent years. Kanye West, obviously, but also ... Nick Cannon and Ice Cube, to name a few.

Not only does the doc Kyrie promoted discuss this, but it also reportedly spreads conspiracy theories ... including the claim that "white Jews," as it were, perpetuated the slave trade and are, by and large, in control of the media/banking industries ... among other accusations.

It's a lot of the same stuff that got Kanye in trouble ... and Kyrie's been receiving much of the same backlash, so much so that his boss -- Nets owner Joe Tsai -- said something.

He condemned Kyrie's tweet as hate-fueled, writing ... "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." Joe adds, this is bigger than basketball.

KI defended himself Saturday, saying he meant no disrespect to anyone's religious beliefs and adding ... "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."

Kyrie Irving is fed up with people criticizing Ben Simmons as the hooper tries to reclaim his All-Star status in Brooklyn after years of injury and disappointment ... saying people need to "give him a f***ing chance!"

Irving spoke candidly when addressing the media after the Nets 110-99 loss to the Bucks, defending Simmons, who's been receiving heat for his early-season struggles.

"If we're going to come in and be honest as a team," Irving said, "I'm not trying to be critical over what Ben's done right or done wrong every night."

"You guys keep coming here asking me, 'what about Ben? what about Ben?' He hasn't played in two years. Give him a f***ing chance. We stay on his s***."

Simmons, 26, was traded to the Nets last season, but the former Philadelphia 76er didn't play a game for Brooklyn due to a back injury.

Ben's return to the Nets' lineup was supposed to spell good news for Brooklyn, considering Kevin Durant and Kyrie were already in place, but Simmons has struggled offensively.

The Nets, meanwhile, have a 1-3 record, and though it's early, Simmons is averaging career lows in points (5.2 ppg) and rebounds (5.8 rpg) -- leaving many to wonder if the three-time All-Star can ever be the same player.

However, Kyrie doesn't seem too worried about Ben ... and feels it's important for the Nets to support him by giving him "positive affirmations."

Hopefully for Ky, standing up for Ben won't hurt his pockets ... players have been fined in the past for cursing at postgame pressers (see Russell Westbrook, 2017, fined $15K).

Fivio Foreign is blaming arena production staffers for his recent performance woes during the Brooklyn Nets' halftime show ... and says he needs a redo to make the city proud.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Fivio at the scene of the crime -- Barclays Center, the Nets' homecourt -- and his view of the disastrous performance is his production team would've handled things perfectly, unlike the one he worked with that night.

Fivio says everything was fine during soundcheck, but at halftime, his inner earpiece was lower than the crowd noise ... and the sound was delayed in his ear.

ICYMI, Fivio got fried on social media because the Brooklyn rapper seemed to forget his lyrics altogether for a full 3 songs.

Fivio tells us Internet reactions didn't phase him much ... he remembers getting trashed online when his sound went out performing with Kanye West during one of his many Donda events last year.

He's also laughing off haters claiming he was too high to remember the words -- Fivio tells us that chapter of his life is over, and he dropped a few bars about it.

Fivio Foreign was excited to bring his hit singles to the Brooklyn Nets season opener at Barclays Center ... but something was clearly off with his performance, and the fans let him have it.

Fivio took center court at halftime to deliver a medley of "Say My Name," "City of Gods" and "Big Drip" but there were apparently some technical difficulties ... the Brooklyn rapper missed the cue on most of his lyrics, resulting in a live performance of ad-libs.

Fans split the blame down the middle ... with some blaming the Nets audio crew and others just chalking it up to Fivio being a slouch on the job.

Of course, Twitter users let him have it, writing, "If you’re illegally streaming this Nets game you know that this fivio foreign halftime performance is one of the worst things in history." Another wrote, "I don’t know who fivio foreign is, but this one of the worst halftime shows I ever seen."

T.I., being the experienced rapper, noted Fivio's lack of in-ear headphones to hear the songs properly.

The glitchy performance certainly didn't inspire the home team ... Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans blew out the Nets on their home floor 130-108.