Things are falling out of favor for Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving since he promoted an anti-Semitic film on Twitter. The NBA franchise have suspended Irving for at least five games without pay and recently, the world's largest athletic apparel company, Nike has debarred its relationship with the 30-year-old point guard.
On Thursday, Brooklyn Nets released a statement announcing Kyrie Irving's suspension as the team found the star guard 'currently unfit to be associated', as he 'refused to unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs'.
However, Irving released a statement soon after Nets' announcement and apologized to the Jewish community for promoting the film containing 'false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language'.
In a statement, Nike suspended their association with Irving and canceled the launch of his next signature shoes. Nike stated, "We believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."
Irving was the No.1 NBA draft pick in 2011 and signed with Nike in the same year. The seven-time NBA All-Star has marked a signature line with Nike since 2014 that reportedly helped him making $11 million annually from its endorsement.