Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James says the punishment handed down on his former teammate Kyrie Irving is "excessive" and that Irving should be allowed to return to the court.
"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information. And I’ll continue to be that way but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play," James wrote on Twitter. "Help him learn — but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him."
The Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving for a minimum of five games after he shared a link to a documentary film with antisemitic views on social media, then failed to apologize to people of the Jewish faith despite being given multiple chances to do so.
The team said Irving is "currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets" and gave him a list of conditions to complete before reinstatement would be considered. Those requirements are:
• Irving must apologize for posting a link to a documentary containing antisemitic material. He also must condemn the movie.
• Irving must make a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes.
• Irving must receive sensitivity training.
• Irving must take training to educate himself on antisemitism.
• Irving must meet with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish leaders.
• Irving must meet with Nets owner Joseph Tsai to demonstrate his understanding of the issues.
James isn't the only player to criticize the conditions of Irving's suspension. Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who like Irving is a member of the players union leadership group, said the NBPA would consider filing a grievance in response to the suspension, citing the fact that the collective bargaining agreement doesn't include any guidelines for handling social media posts.
"I don’t believe Kyrie Irving is antisemitic," Brown told The Boston Globe. "I don’t think people in our governing bodies think he’s antisemitic. He made a mistake. We understand from an outside perspective how important sensitivity is to not condone hate speech and not condone anything of that nature. It’s sensitivity to the dialect around that. We don’t want to stand up for somebody in order to not condemn hate speech, but I don’t believe Kyrie Irving is antisemitic. And hopefully, the NBA feels the same way."
