(Los Angeles) Nike announced Monday it is no longer working with NBA star Kyrie Irving, a month after the sportswear maker suspended its partnership with the Brooklyn Nets point guard for promoting a character movie anti-Semite on his social networks.
“Kyrie Irving is no longer a (Nike) athlete,” a spokesperson for the brand told AFP.
On October 27, Irving – already known to have relayed conspiracy theories – had published on his Instagram and Twitter accounts the poster of Hebrews to Negroes : Wake Up Black America and links to the Amazon site to rent or buy this film containing, among other things, a quote attributed to Adolf Hitler and denying the reality of the Holocaust.
He later apologized, saying “not to be anti-Semitic and never have been”.
“I have no hatred in my heart against Jews or anyone who identifies as Jewish,” he added in an exclusive interview with SportsNet New York (SNY) on Nov. 19.
Brooklyn had also sidelined him for at least five games, without receiving pay.
The Nets asked the player to contact the Jewish community to better understand the scope of the messages he posted on social networks. The former Boston Celtics player described these discussions as moving and important, claiming to have learned a lot.
“It hasn’t been easy, some (discussions) have been painful […] but it gave me a better perspective,” the player explained.
He finally joined the team on November 20 after serving an eight-game suspension.
Kyrie Irving opened up about his split from Nike on Twitter stating, “Anyone who spent their hard-earned money on one of my products, I consider you family and we are forever bonded.”
He also shared a “gif” which reads: “there is nothing more precious than to be free”.
The 30-year-old Australian-born point guard is a seven-time All-Star Game winner, including winning an NBA title in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
