LeBron James Criticizes Kyrie Irving for Sharing Antisemitic Film: 'I Don't Respect It'

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

LeBron Jamesis disappointed in his former teammate,Kyrie Irving.

“Me personally, I don’t condone any hate of any kind,” the 37-year-old said,per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities.”

“You guys know where I stand,” he continued.

James, who shared the floor with Irving for three seasons in Cleveland, told the media that “there’s no place in this world” for hate speech of any kind. He also said, “nobody can benefit” from Irving’s “harmful” behavior.

“I believe what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people,” he explained, per ESPN. “It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, how tall you are, what position you’re in. If you are promoting or soliciting or saying harmful things to any community that harms people, then I don’t respect it. I don’t condone it.”

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty

James said he thinks Irving is a “great” man from “a great family,” but he hopes the Brooklyn Nets star “understands what he did.”

The film also features extreme views of Black Hebrew Israelites, who argue that Black people are the only true descendants of ancient Israelites.

“I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote. “I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the documentary.”

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Irving has previously joined the Nets organization in pledging $1 million total to organizations to “eradicate hate and intolerance.”

On Thursday, though, the Nets announced that Kyrie will be suspended at least five games without pay after the team claims it made multiple attempts over the week to help the point guard “understand the harm and danger of his words and actions.”

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source: people.com