Nets star Kyrie Irving finally had his meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday morning. And at least nobody threw oil on the fire.
After every step of the Irving controversy seemingly has brought on a stumble, the meeting — demanded last week by a clearly vexed Silver — appeared to go off without a hitch.
It was a “productive and understanding visit,” according to The Athletic. A source close to the situation confirmed the meeting to The Post, but would not expound on any details. Still, it paves the way for Irving and the Nets to “work through his steps on a potential path forward.”
Those steps are unlikely to be without issue.
The Nets suspended Irving for a minimum of five games without pay after the All-Star promoted an anti-Semitic movie on Twitter and Instagram, then dug in his heels and refused to apologize in multiple testy exchanges with the media.
Silver — who is Jewish — has at times drawn criticism for being too deliberate and slow to act. But he issued a terse statement last week condemning Irving’s actions and vowed to meet with the Nets star this week.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive anti-Semitic material,” Silver said at the time.
“While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation league to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and hateful content contained in the film he chose to publicize.”
Now that they finally have had their meeting, it appears to have at least moved the situation forward rather than backward.
The Nets not only suspended Irving without pay (which is set to cost him more than $2 million in salary, with the game Wednesday against Knicks the fourth of his minimum five-game ban), but also levied a number of conditions that he must meet in order to return.
Some have suggested the Nets actually doubt Irving will meet all the conditions, or that they are being overly onerous in an attempt to chasten him.
The Nets are reportedly demanding that Irving: 1. Publicly apologize for the Oct. 27 social media links to the anti-Semitic film; 2. Complete anti-hate classes (including donating $500,000); 3. Complete sensitivity training; 4. Complete anti-hate training focusing on anti-Semitism; 5. Meet with Jewish leaders (including the ADL); and 6. Meet with team owner Joe Tsai, whose texts he reportedly has ignored.
The NBPA — of which Irving has been a vice president since 2020 — has steadfastly defended the Nets star in the past. And on Monday, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown — like Irving, an NBPA VP — said he expects the union to appeal.
“I’ve been talking to Kyrie,” Brown told The Boston Globe. “I’ve talked to Adam, I talked to Tamika [Tremaglio, NBPA executive director], I’ve talked to pretty much everybody about this situation.
“But I’m expecting the NBPA to appeal the suspension from Brooklyn. The terms, etcetera, that went into his return. The terms for his return, they seem like a lot, and a lot of the players expressed discomfort with the terms.”