AP source: Suspended Kyrie Irving meets with Adam Silver

FILE - Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving speaks before the team's NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 19, 2022, in New York. The Nets are suspending Irving for at least five games without pay, saying they were dismayed by his failure to 'unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.' Hours after Irving refused to issue the apology that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sought for posting a link to an antisemitic work on his Twitter feed, the Nets said that Irving is 'currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.' (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) The Associated Press

FILE -NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a news conference before Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics in San Francisco, Thursday, June 2, 2022. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants an apology and Kyrie Irving still isn't going to give one. Shortly after the NBA Commissioner said Irving 'made a reckless decision' by tweeting out a link to a film containing antisemitic material last week, the Brooklyn Nets guard again stopped short of saying he was sorry for doing so. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) The Associated Press

Posted November 08, 2022 6:00 am

By BRIAN MAHONEY

NEW YORK (AP) - Suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the meeting said.

The Nets banned Irving for at least five games without pay on Thursday after he refused to say he had no antisemitic beliefs.

That came hours after Silver said Irving made a 'œreckless decision'ť to post on his Twitter feed a link to a film that contains antisemitic material and said he would be meeting with him within a week.

They finally did on Tuesday, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on anonymity because the meeting and its details were private.

Irving eventually deleted the tweet and issued an apology on Instagram, after failing to do so when he met with reporters earlier Thursday.

But by then, Silver said he was disappointed that it had taken so long for Irving to apologize, and that he hadn't denounced the material in 'œHebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.'ť

Even after meeting with Silver, Irving has work to do to repair his relationship with the Nets. They were already angry enough by his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving him ineligible to play in home games most of last season, that they refused to give him a contract extension over the summer. This time, he will have to complete measures they said would be necessary before he could return to play.

Irving will miss his fourth game Wednesday against the New York Knicks, and the Nets begin a four-game road trip on the West Coast after that.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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