Adam Silver said on Thursday he doesn't believe Kyrie Irving is antisemitic. Silver met with Irving at the NBA league office in Manhattan on Tuesday.
“We had a direct and candid conversation,” Silver, who is Jewish, said in an interview with The New York Times, adding, “He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antisemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group.”
In a follow-up phone conversation, Silver added, “Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
Silver told an audience in Washington D.C. that the social media post had done “enormous damage” to Irving and “potentially” to the team and the league. He added that he had “no doubt” that Irving was not antisemitic.
“I feel that we got to the right outcome here in terms of his suspension,” Silver said. “And in retrospect, we may have been able to get there faster. I accept that criticism. But I felt it was important to understand the context in which it was posted to understand what discipline was appropriate, not in any way to excuse it but to understand what discipline was appropriate.”