Rabbis say they were told to put away ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud’ signs after interaction with Kyrie Irving at Dallas Mavericks-Utah Jazz game
The Dallas Mavericks player was previously suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for sharing a movie containing antisemitic material.
SALT LAKE CITY — A group of four rabbis at the Dallas Mavericks-Utah Jazz game Monday were asked to put away signs that read “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” after an interaction with Mavericks player Kyrie Irving, one of the rabbis said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Irving was reportedly suspended by the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 after he shared a link to a film containing antisemitic material on X.
Rabbi Avremi Zippel, a prominent Utah rabbi, described his interaction with Irving during Monday’s game on X.
“Kyrie saw the signs. At the 9:40 mark of the first quarter, he commented ‘no need to bring that to a game,’” Zippel wrote. “At the next timeout he went to Mavs security. Jazz officials came over and CHECKED OUR TICKETS. We were told to put the signs away.”
The Dallas Mavericks directed WFAA to a statement from the Utah Jazz in response to the incident.
“The Utah Jazz Code of Conduct is in place so that games can be played without distraction and disruption. No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks an interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it. During an out-of-bounds play in the 1st quarter of Monday night’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 statement read. “As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs. The part-time employee who told the fans it was the content of the sign that was the problem was incorrect. The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs.”
Zippel told the Salt Lake Tribune he wanted to attend the game to send a message to Irving.
“Some of the things that Kyrie said about the Jewish community and about Holocaust denial were vile and disgusting,” Zippel told the Tribune.
The movie Irving reportedly posted a link to last year, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” falsely claimed the Holocaust didn’t happen.
As previously reported, Irving initially refused to apologize for sharing the link to the movie but issued a statement apologizing “to all Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected by my post” and called “remarks made in the Documentary” “hateful” after he was suspended.
“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote at the time. “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.”
