NBA Atlantic

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said former teammate Kyrie Irving "caused some harm to a lot of people" with his promotion of an antisemitic film.

"He caused some harm, and I think it's unfortunate," James told reporters Friday. "But I don't stand on the position to harm people when it comes to your voice or your platform or anything. So it doesn't matter what color your skin is, how tall you are, what position you're in. If you are promoting or soliciting or saying harmful things to any community that harms people, then I don't respect it."

He added: "I don't condone any hate to any kind. To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand."

James and Irving, who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets, spent three seasons as teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 through 2017.

The Nets announced Thursday they'd given Irving an indefinite suspension of at least five games for his "failure to disavow antisemitism."

Their decision came after the seven-time NBA All-Star wouldn't directly answer questions about whether he held any antisemitic beliefs in reference to a tweet he posted linking to the film:

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted the film contains "deeply antisemitic themes." Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone reported the film claims "Jewish slave ships that brought our West African negro or Bantu ancestors to slave ports owned by [Jews]."

While it has been acknowledged that some Jewish people were involved in slavery, the allegation that Jews were the driving force of slavery has been widely debunked.

After being suspended, Irving posted a statement on Instagram, saying he had "no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate."

"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," Irving wrote. "I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled antisemitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the documentary."

Nets general manager Sean Marks said the apology "a step in the right direction," but noted the point guard will be asked to speak with Jewish community leaders before he's allowed to rejoin the team.

"[Irving's] going to have to sit down with them, he's going to have to sit down with the organization after this," Marks told reporters. "We will evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back."

The 30-year-old guard served the first game of his suspension Friday night as the Nets scored a 128-86 road win over the Washington Wizards.

He'll be first eligible to return for a Nov. 13 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-119 on Friday at TD Garden to improve to 5-3 on the season, and despite DeMar DeRozan finishing with 46 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, it was Jayson Tatum who caught the attention of fans.

Tatum recorded 36 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes. The remainder of Boston's starting lineup—Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown—combined for just 46 points.

Malcolm Brogdon had a solid game off the bench, finishing with 25 points, two rebounds, four assists and one block, but Tatum's performance was unforgettable Twitter praised him for an MVP-caliber night:

MVP Tatum tonight folks

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) November 5, 2022

Resounding MVP chants for Jayson Tatum after grabbing an OREB and drawing a foul to potentially stave off a bulls comeback

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) November 5, 2022

Tatum is making those MVP plays again tonight.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 5, 2022

Jayson Tatum is the 2nd player in Celtics history to average 30 points through his first 8 games of a season, joining Larry Bird in 1984-85. pic.twitter.com/counoLUgvS

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2022

https://twitter.com/chrisbrockman/status/1588710265004363776

Tatum is special

— CelticsBlog (@celticsblog) November 5, 2022

I feel like Jayson Tatum is on an MVP mission this year. Season 6 seems like the right time to get his first.

— Domonique (@Foxworth24) November 5, 2022

Day-by-day, game-by-game, I will be tweeting #Celtics Jayson Tatum’s 2022-23 MVP winning season into existence. pic.twitter.com/zj2HC29yoy

— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) November 5, 2022

Not sure what National #NBA shows you're watching bro, but #Tatum is in the MVP conversation along with #Giannis and #Luka https://t.co/bdNgYBvaeZ

— NBA Old School Jam (@NBAoldschoolJam) November 5, 2022

loud mvp chants for tatum 🥰

— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) November 5, 2022

Tatum sets a new career high with 20 FTAs and counting. Entered tonight averaging a career high 7 per game.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 5, 2022

Tatum is in the midst of a hot start to the 2022-23 campaign. He entered Friday's contest averaging 30.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 blocks through Boston's first seven games while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from deep.

The three-time All-Star will likely face some stiff competition for the MVP award. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Ja Morant have all been mentioned as contenders early on.

Tatum will look to continue his MVP-worthy campaign Saturday when Boston faces the Jalen Brunson-led New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Nike announced Friday that it has suspended its partnership with Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving after he promoted an antisemitic film on his social media accounts last week.

Nike said in a statement, per CNBC's Sara Eisen:

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we've made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."

Irving has been in partnership with Nike since 2014, collaborating with the company on a number of signature basketball shoes. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported in May that Nike was unlikely to extend Irving a signature shoe deal beyond 2023 because of "uncertainties surrounding his NBA future."

Irving promoted Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on social media last week. The film includes ideas "in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism," according to a Rolling Stone article published by Jon Blistein.

The Nets announced Thursday that they had suspended Irving for at least five games after he "refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs" while speaking with the media earlier in the day.

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

Thursday's media session was one of a number of opportunities Irving received this week to denounce antisemitism. He told reporters that he "respects all walks of life" but did not explicitly apologize or state at the time that he had no antisemitic beliefs.

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

After his suspension from the Nets was announced, Irving issued an apology to the Jewish community via Instagram:

"While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.

"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. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am."

Before Irving's apology, both NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Nets governor Joe Tsai had openly expressed their disappointment in the veteran:

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/iD3GkJvekR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 3, 2022

This is bigger than basketball

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022

If Irving is suspended for the minimum five games, he will be eligible to return to the Nets' lineup on Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden's right foot tendon strain is not as severe as originally feared, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Friday.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers says James Harden’s injury actually was less severe than the team initially feared. “We just have to keep getting through the stuff we’ve gone through” to start the season.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 4, 2022

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Harden was set to miss a month with the injury, which appeared to have been suffered during the team's 121-111 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

It's not clear whether Rivers believes Harden will return sooner than the reported timetable.

Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia gave more insight on the matter.

James Harden has a right foot tendon strain and is expected to miss a month, source confirms @wojespn.

After heading back to the locker room for a while, Harden returned in the fourth quarter last night vs. the Wizards and played the final 7:15. He was limping postgame.

— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) November 3, 2022

Harden had been enjoying an excellent season despite the 76ers' slow 4-5 start. Through nine games, he has averaged 22.0 points, 10.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Without Harden, the onus falls on Joel Embiid to pick up more of the nightly burden, while Tyrese Maxey should primarily handle the backcourt responsibilities. Rivers also told reporters that forward Tobias Harris' usage should increase as well.

Look for Shake Milton and De'Anthony Melton to get more playing time off the bench too. Rivers projected Melton to start in Harden's place.

Ben Simmons "has been a source of frustration" for Kevin Durant and others on the Brooklyn Nets this season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday on NBA Today.

"Ben Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he's been unable to stay on the floor with a knee injury, but prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player," Wojnarowski said.

He added, "There's no indication right now that Ben Simmons is close to being back to anywhere near the player he once was."

Simmons has not played since Oct. 29 against the Indiana Pacers while nursing a knee injury, but even when he was on the court, he didn't look like the player he once was, averaging just 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.

The Nets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, and they've struggled mightily defensively, boasting a 118.3 defensive rating, which ranks last in the league. In addition, they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 2-6 record.

Amid the team's disastrous start, Brooklyn also fired head coach Steve Nash, replacing him with interim Jacque Vaughn, but it has made little difference.

It's not necessarily surprising that Durant may be irritated with Simmons, whose availability is undoubtedly a contributing factor in the team's struggles.

The 26-year-old, who was acquired in the deal that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, also did not play at all last season due to injuries, and the Nets went on to be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

With the Nets desperately trying to turn things around, Simmons has come up in trade talks, per SNY's Ian Begley. However, it's unclear which teams might be interested in the veteran point guard, and it's possible the Nets wouldn't get anything substantial in return based on his recent play and injury history.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is not considering renewing his offseason trade request despite the recent suspension of teammate Kyrie Irving.

That news is per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski during a Friday appearance on This Just In with Max Kellerman (h/t Talkin' NBA).

"The concern in Brooklyn is: How long does Kevin Durant hang in there. ... You can imagine a scenario where Kevin Durant perhaps revisits his [trade] request from the summer at some point, although I don't believe that's a consideration right now for him."

Durant made the trade request last summer and explained why he did so to reporters, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.

Kevin Durant on why he made the trade request: "It was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year. I committed to this organization for 4 years last summer with the idea that we were gonna be playing with that group (KD Kyrie & James Harden)."

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) September 26, 2022

Durant is in the midst of a four-year, $194.2 million deal that runs through the 2025-26 season.

There's more uncertainty now after the Nets suspended Irving for "no less than five games" without pay in the wake of his promotion of a film containing antisemitic tropes as well as a refusal to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film."

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

The 2-6 Nets currently sit 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference despite a great start from Durant, who has averaged 32.5 points on 52.8 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Their defensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference. Durant and Irving (26.9 PPG) are also the only players on the team averaging at least 12 points per game. The Nets and head coach Steve Nash have also parted ways. Jacque Vaughn has since taken over as the interim coach.

For now, the Nets will look to move forward when they visit the Washington Wizards on Friday for a 7 p.m. ET game.

As the Brooklyn Nets continue to navigate their way through the fallout of the Kyrie Irving situation, they are also in the process of searching for a new head coach.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are "working through the final stages of vetting" Ime Udoka for the job.

The Nets announced on Tuesday a parting of ways with Steve Nash seven games into the season.

Following the announcement, Wojnarowski reported Udoka was "likely" going to be named Nash's replacement and a decision "could be finalized as soon as the next 24-to-48 hours."

Wojnarowski added former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder was among the candidates expected to receive interest from the Nets.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Wednesday there has been "no substantial contact" from Brooklyn about Snyder's interest.

Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 season in September by the Boston Celtics for "multiple violations of team policies" uncovered in an investigation conducted by an outside law firm.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Udoka was disciplined for making "unwanted comments" toward a subordinate female staff member in the Celtics organization and having an intimate relationship with her.

"Some members of the Celtics organization first became aware of the relationship in July, sources said," Charania wrote. "At that time, team leadership was led to believe by both parties that the relationship was consensual. But sources said that the woman recently accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her—leading the team to launch a set of internal interviews."

Even though Udoka remains under contract to the Celtics, Wojnarowski noted they wouldn't stop him from taking the Nets job if it is offered.

Jacque Vaughn, who has been on Brooklyn's coaching staff since 2016, has served as acting head coach since Nash's departure.

The Nets are off to a 2-6 start heading into Friday's game against the Washington Wizards at Capitol One Arena.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant discussed Kyrie Irving's promotion of an antisemitic film on social media for the first time with reporters Friday, and he later clarified that he doesn't condone antisemitism.

“I’m not here to judge somebody or talk down on their life or how they feel their views," Durant initially said at a shootaround. "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 later took to Twitter to clarify his remarks:

Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused..I don’t condone hate speech or anti-semetism, I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) November 4, 2022

The Nets suspended Irving on Thursday after he refused to definitively say he holds no antisemitic views in a press conference earlier in the day. It was the first time Irving had spoken to media since a tense back-and-forth with a reporter, in which he defended his decision to promote a film that linked Jewish people to Satan worship.

"I'm not the one who made the documentary," Irving told reporters in the presser. He also notably did not apologize for sharing the link.

After the suspension was announced, Irving made a post on Instagram apologizing for his actions.

Kyrie Irving apologies on IG: “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.” pic.twitter.com/9RrqpDAVzD

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 4, 2022

The team's statement announcing his suspension called Irving "currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on Thursday addressing the situation.

The NBPA, where Irving sits as a member of the executive board, released only a vague statement Tuesday condemning antisemitism that did not mention Irving by name.

There have been, as of publication, no current NBA players who have stepped up and called out Irving for what should be a straightforward issue. Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have used their public forums to criticize Irving in recent days, but the lack of comment from current players has been noteworthy.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday the team didn't consider waiving point guard Kyrie Irving before it announced an indefinite unpaid suspension of at least five games following his promotion of an antisemitic film.

Irving issued an apology Thursday night on Instagram, saying he had "no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate," which Marks called "a step" in the right direction.

Sean Marks says Kyrie’s apology last night was a good first step but the organization wants him to take some more steps — including meeting with Jewish leaders — before playing for the Nets again.

Marks said the organization never considered releasing Kyrie.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) November 4, 2022

The Nets' decision to suspend Irving came after a press conference earlier Thursday where he refused to directly answer a question about whether he held any antisemitic beliefs.

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

A review of the film, Hebrews To Negroes: Wake Up Black America, by Drew Magary of SFGate described it as "pure, uncut antisemitism," including Holocaust denial.

"But this is a fundamentally antisemitic work built around the belief that Black people are the original Hebrews, and that present-day Jews have stolen their identity and used it to run the world," Magary wrote. "This is a bedrock principle within certain elements of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement; it's been extensively debunked and is indisputably hateful, no matter how childish a guise it may come in."

Irving later deleted the social-media post containing a link to the film and announced he'd team with the Nets to donate $1 million to the Anti-Defamation League. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt later said the group wouldn't accept the NBA player's $500,000.

"We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it's clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions," Greenblatt wrote Thursday on Twitter. "ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation."

Irving, 30, is in the final season of a four-year, $136.5 million contract with Brooklyn. He'll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 campaign if an extension isn't signed.

The seven-time All-Star was the focus of trade rumors throughout the summer, but the Nets ultimately decided to keep their core of Irving and Kevin Durant together for another season.

He'll serve the first game of his suspension Friday night against the Washington Wizards. He'll remain sidelined through at least a Nov. 12 game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Irving could return Nov. 13 when the Nets face the Los Angeles Lakers if he meets the organization's requirements.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving issued an apology to the Jewish community Thursday night after promoting an antisemitic film—Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America—on social media last week.

Irving said in a statement on Instagram:

"While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.

"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. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am."

Irving promoted the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on his social media accounts last week. It contains ideas "in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism," according to a Rolling Stone article published by Jon Blistein.

Nets governor Joe Tsai responded to Irving's actions in a Twitter post on Oct. 28, writing that he was "disappointed" in the veteran point guard and wanted to meet with him so that he recognized his actions were harmful:

This is bigger than basketball

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022

The Nets organization also released a statement the same day condemning hate speech, via The Athletic's Alex Schiffer:

“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.”

In addition, the Nets, Irving and the Anti-Defamation League announced in a press release Wednesday that Irving and the Nets would each donate $500,000 to go towards fighting hate speech and bigotry, but ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said Thursday that Irving's donation would not be accepted, saying that he couldn't accept because Irving "feels no accountability for his actions":

ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt also stated via Twitter that Irving ‘failed at almost every step along the way’ to apologize and condemn antisemitism. He commends the Nets for suspending Irving: pic.twitter.com/DsEbLScTtu

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) November 4, 2022

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Thursday that he was "disappointed" Irving had not "offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize":

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/iD3GkJvekR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 3, 2022

Irving was given a number of chances to address the situation while meeting with reporters this week. On Thursday, he was asked directly if he had "antisemitic beliefs," but his response was unclear:

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

The Nets then announced Thursday night that they had suspended Irving for at least five games after he "refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs" during Thursday's media session:

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

The earliest the 30-year-old can return to the court is Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.