Nets Kyrie Irving’s Stance Comes Full Circle
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 18: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets takes a looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks during their game at Barclays Center on January 18, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
On Wednesday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks opted to boycott their game five playoff game against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks decided on Jacob Blake a Black man, was shot seven times trying to enter his SUV in Kenosha, Wisconsin by police officers.
Blake’s kids, aged three, five, and eight, were in the car. After the shooting, Blake’s attorney shared on Tuesday that he may never walk again, according to Mike Householder and Scott Bauer of the Associated Press.
With another unarmed black man being shot by the police, the national spotlight once again is about police brutality and systemic racism in the United States.
Earlier this summer, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is the Vice President of the Players Association, organized a conference call with members of both communities before the NBA season resumed in Orlando, Florida, and the WNBA began its season in Bradenton, Florida.
The purpose of the call was for players to voice their concerns about the NBA season resuming in the Orlando bubble on July 30th and for players afraid to speak out to get their voices heard.
Some of the individuals on the call were Irving’s Nets teammate Kevin Durant, Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony, C.J. McCollum, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, who is the President of the Players Association.
Irving, along with other league players such as Kevin Durant, Avery Bradley, and Trevor Ariza, opted not to join their team in the bubble for personal or health reasons.
Fans and media members smeared Irving’s name for his decision. “I don’t support going into Orlando. I’m not with the systematic racism and the bullshit …
“Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are targeted as black men every day we wake up.”
On Wednesday, Irving was trending on Twitter as fans and media members stated that Irving should apologize, while others said that he hasn’t done anything since the start of the bubble. That is not true at all. Irving donated 1.5 million dollars to support WNBA players who decided to sit out the season due to health problems or to protest systemic racism and social injustice. He also produced a #sayhername exceptional on Breonna Taylor, whose killers have not been arrested yet.
“Yeah, I think Kyrie [Irving] is the kind of guy, he sees outside himself a lot of the time, extremely unselfish, and this is just another example of that. Obviously, everyone sees the big number, you know $1.5 million, and they can get caught up in that,” said Bird.
“To me, what I love about it is the opportunity that all of us, as WNBA players, will have, if we want is to take courses in financial literacy. And that goes beyond just the one-time offering. It goes well beyond that, and I think what he is trying to do is support women, and support the WNBA. Not just now, but long term, and it is admirable.”
On Wednesday night, Basketball Society’s Brandon Robinson tweeted that he spoke with someone within Irving’s camp and shared that the point of the bubble platform was to make change.
“The whole point is to use the platform to make change. Now that there’s basketball being played, the platform being provided is a distraction. We need to be using this unique opportunity to create change.”
The Bucks boycotted their playoff game, so the NBA canceled the rest of Wednesday’s schedule. Now, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, players within the bubble are discussing whether they should continue the season.
