He added, “When you’re dealing with that emotion, I think you’ve got to let it out. And I did. And there were some things that were misinterpreted and misunderstood in those comments and those other news conferences. All I was meaning to say is that I stand strong with the people I come from.”
Irving was also critical of a reported list of six demands the Nets had laid out as conditions for his return. That list, reported by The Athletic, included requirements that Irving meet with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League and complete sensitivity training. The Nets have not publicly confirmed the list.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the A.D.L., told The New York Times on Thursday that he had not met with Irving, though he hoped to. Irving said he had met with “different people within the Jewish community,” but he did not specify whom.
“Let’s clarify the list just because I think it was inappropriate the way it was released in the way that it somehow pinned me in the corner, as if I was guilty of something and as if I was, you know, this antisemitic person, this label that was placed on me,” Irving said.
Brown had suggested earlier this month in an interview with the Boston Globe that the union would file an appeal to Irving’s suspension.
“I’ve got to leave that to my legal team and leave it to the warriors I have around me,” Irving said after the game, on whether he had considered filing a grievance against the Nets. “I have strong people, men and women around me, that are going to do everything possible to make sure that I am protected and my family is protected and we protect one another so you know, I’m sure some things will be done in the future. There’s no timetable on that right now.”
Asked what he thought of one of the central claims of the film, which is the false trope that Black people are the original Israelites, Irving said, “That was the intent when I was watching the movie was to have a deeper understanding of my family heritage and where I come from. And when I said I meant no harm, I meant that.”
“Where all this started from, it was legitimately to learn about what anti-Blackness was,” Irving added. “And it led me to a documentary that ended up exploring and opening my mind to more than I could put into words right now.”