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Amid Kyrie Irving’s Nike Fallout, New York Records Abysmal 125% Increase In Antisemitic Hate Crimes

Samir Mehdi
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Amid Kyrie Irving’s Nike Fallout, New York Records Abysmal $125% Increase In Antisemitic Hate Crimes

Kyrie Irving found himself on the wrong end of the news cycle earlier this NBA season when he was called out for being an antisemite. In reality, Irving has long been obsessed with wanting to figure out his own heritage and in doing so, he posted a screenshot of a movie on Amazon filled with hateful speech. 

The falsities in this documentary were proven to be detrimental to the Jewish community. When faced by the media on 2 separate occasions, Irving failed to apologize for posting the screenshot. This eventually led to both Joe Tsai and Adam Silver condemning his actions. 

Irving would be suspended and would also lose out on his contract with Nike in the process. Since then, he has apologized, officially, and has been reinstated back as a Brooklyn Net. While Nets fans can rejoice over this, they certainly can’t about the recent hate crime statistics.

Also read: Amidst the Kanye West Controversy, Kyrie Irving Calls Former Donda Sports Athlete, Jaylen Brown, His ‘Brother’

Following the Kyrie Irving controversy, New York records a massive spike in antisemitic hate crimes 

Recent statistics released from the New York Police Department have shown that the Jewish community in the state has suffered the most out of any ethnicity in terms of crimes committed against them. According to the stats, there has been a 125% increase on this front.

This increase coincides with the month-long Kyrie Irving controversy and Kanye West’s continued spiral down the antisemitic path as well. Bringing the harm that their words can cause to the forefront has backfired in a way as it has brought quite a lot of negative attention to the Jewish community. 

February saw the worst spike of the year in terms of hate crimes against Jews, as 56 of them were reported, as opposed to 45 from November. It was in November that 2 armed individuals planned to attack people of the Jewish faith while wearing Nazi bands on their arms. They were luckily apprehended by the NYPD. 

Kyrie Irving is completely done with Nike 

After Nike announced they would be halting all production of the Kyrie 8 and would not be releasing it, they put out a statement yesterday which established their severed ties with Kyrie Irving. 

Irving took to Twitter to acknowledge the development and thanked all of his fans who spent their money to buy his products over the past decade. Prior to this, he was seen playing an NBA regulation game in Skechers so it’s safe to say he’s ready to move on as well.

Also read: Kyrie Irving Silently Commits Great Act of Kindness, Visits and Donates $60,000 to Storied School in New York, as Former Student Reveals

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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