Kyrie Irving #2 of the Dallas Mavericks congratulates Luka Doncic #77 during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center on March 24, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
*Four Rabbis kicked off the new year in petty mode when they taunted Kyrie Irving with pro-Jewish signs during Monday’s game at the Delta Center.
As Complex reports, the rabbis sat courtside during the Utah Jazz/Dallas Mavericks match-up, holding “I’m a Jew and I’m Proud” signs. The rabbis are still carrying a grudge because last year, Irving shared a link to a documentary titled “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.”
The rabbis attended Monday’s game to antagonize Irving but were asked to remove the signs. One of the men, Rabbi Avremi Zippel, spoke out about the incident because he’s convinced Irving complained to security about the signs. Irving’s rep denies the NBA star lodged a complaint.
“During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with play of game,” the Jazz said in the statement obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. “As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs.”
Zippe called Irving “vile and disgusting” for allegedly being anti-Semitic.
A rabbi says the Utah Jazz made him put down his “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” sign during Monday’s game vs. the Mavericks after Kyrie Irving complained. The Jazz say he “created a distraction and interfered with play of game.” https://t.co/jUzpvQ3sfi
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 3, 2024
“Some of the things that Kyrie said about the Jewish community and about Holocaust denial were vile and disgusting,” Zippel told the newspaper.
Irving stated previously that he does not “have hate in my heart for the Jewish people or anyone that identifies as a Jew.”
The Brooklyn Nets suspended him in 2022 for posting the link to the “Hebrews to Negroes” documentary on social media.
The Nets said the suspension was necessary because Kyrie refused to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
Last year, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
READ MORE: Kyrie Irving Makes Nets Return After 8-Day Suspension, Apologizes to Jews Again
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