Kyrie is Canceled

Photo+credit%3A+Erik+Drost

Erik Drost

Photo credit: Erik Drost

De'Adrian Samuel, OwlFeed Sports Reporter

Nike suspended its ties with Brooklyn Nets’ guard, Kyrie Irving, on Friday, for the action taken when he tweeted an antisemitic post on Twitter. Nike even announced the cancellation of the launch of his newest shoe line model Kyries shoe line, which was originally scheduled for release this month. Kyrie getting suspended by the Brooklyn Nets and Nike canceling his branded shoe release in the aftermath of his promotion of an antisemitic documentary all happened on the same day. The Nets had already suspended Irving for at least five games after he stopped short of posting the documentary on two different occasions. Irving has been in the news over the past several years, and it wasn’t always for his amazing plays on the court. Last year, he didn’t get to play in games because he refused to get a Covid-19 vaccine. He even went on and said that the earth was flat. Kyrie later said he didn’t know what type of effect it would have on people. 

The Nets declined to provide specifics on Irving’s suspension and even though Kyrie apologized on Instagram he still has to show people that he’s actually sorry. When the Nets suspended Kyrie Irving because they concluded that he was “currently unfit to be associated” with the organization, they gave themselves an extended opportunity to see how the team might function without him. The team still ended up being a losing team. The only thing many NBA players are worried about when facing the Nets, is Kevin Durant, not getting their ankles broken by Kyrie and Ben Simmons screens. Other than that the Nets aren’t that great of a team this year. But waving, trading him, or sending Irving home without crafting a better alternative would only further complicate the Net’s relationship with Kevin Durant, who said last week that he wished the organization “could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet”, during the recent controversy with Kyrie. 

The Brooklyn Nets faced a similar issue last season during Kyrie’s Vacation, which they relented by allowing him to come back on a part-time basis. Durant, ever loyal to Irving, made it clear Saturday that he expects his partner back again. Unfortunately, the unresolved tension surrounding Kyrie Irving’s fate hasn’t gone anywhere. The Nets appear unlikely to welcome him back and are weak to not let him back which can be bad or good for the team. Kevin Durant just wants everyone to move on and play ball and would love to have Kyrie back on the court. The Brooklyn Nets went from trying to get the team right to it falling back apart with Kyrie getting suspended. Will Kyrie get to play again or will he sit out for the rest of the season?