Irving was immediately criticized after his link on Twitter, and was called upon to apologize but initially defended his right to share whatever he wanted.
- I think initially we tried to work through an education piece around this and educate everyone involved, says Nets boss Sean Marks to The New York Times, and continues:
- It obviously didn't work.
Not sorry enough
Only when the club suspended him five games without pay came an apology from Irving, in which he admitted that some content of the documentary in question was anti-Semitic, offensively untrue.
"I am deeply sorry that I have caused you pain, and I apologize," Irving wrote to all Jewish families and communities.
But it has continued to blow.
On Friday, Marks announced that the apology was a step in the right direction, but not enough.
Irving must meet with Jewish leaders and receive counseling before being allowed back into the game.
Nike breaks
On Friday, the sports brand Nike also canceled its long-standing collaboration with the star, and will not release the shoe variant Kyrie 8 as planned.
"At Nike, we do not believe there is any room for hate speech and we condemn all forms of anti-Semitism," writes Nike.
According to Fox Sports, Irving's contract with Nike was worth an estimated $17 million a year, equivalent to SEK 187 million.
It is not the first time that Irving has shared controversial opinions and last year Irving was stopped from playing when he refused to be vaccinated against covid-19.
He has previously, for example, also been punished for refusing to speak to journalists in connection with matches.