feature-image

Getty

feature-image

Getty

Kyrie Irving has recently dominated the headlines but not for reasons he will be proud of. The Brooklyn Nets star has sparked outrage and drew condemnation after sharing a link to an allegedly antisemitic film on Twitter last week. NBA luminary Shaquille O’Neal was among many who slammed Irving. The Big Aristotle followed Charles Barkley and chastized the point guard for his tweet.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

He labeled Irving as an “idiot” and said that it hurts him to talk about stuff that divides the game. He further questioned his approach to social media and said “he doesn?t really care what?s going on”. Interestingly, Bishop Talbert Swan weighed in on Shaq’s remarks on Irving.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

ADVERTISEMENT

He tore into the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s comments, saying that him criticizing Irving did not come as a surprise. Furthermore, he dragged forward an event from the past in the process, when Shaq commented on Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Bishop calls out Shaquille O’Neal for his response on Kyrie Irving fiasco

Bishop Talbert Swan took to his Twitter and gave his two cents on Shaquille O’Neal‘s condemnation of Kyrie Irving. He suggested that the big man did not think twice before throwing Colin Kaepernick under the bus for taking a knee during the United States national anthem. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the four-time NBA champion bashed Irving for his tweet.

READ MORE: ?Like Dave Chapelle Said?: Kanye West Tries to Expose Shaquille O?Neal?s Business Dealings After Kyrie Irving?s Ban

ADVERTISEMENT

“Shaquille O?Neal threw Colin Kaepernick under the bus for taking a knee against injustice,” Bishop Swan wrote. “It comes as no surprise that he would slam Kyrie Irving,” he added.

Shaq, back in 2016, commented on Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem. He said that he has no say in the situation but would never do something like that. Now, Bishop Swan, through his tweet, suggested that as Shaq didn’t back down from commenting on Kaepernick’s protest, it’s no surprise that he didn’t shy away from criticizing Irving. The Pastor implied that Shaq needs to do better to stand beside the members of his community.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kyrie Irving endured a 5-game suspension following his tweet

Kyrie Irving will miss the next five Brooklyn Nets games after the team suspended him for his controversial tweet. The organization announced that its star player had been suspended for “failure to disavow antisemitism.” They also stated that Irving was unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets since he did not take corrective action despite being aware of the negative consequences of his actions.

ADVERTISEMENT

Irving was questioned during a press conference before the ban was announced. He was given the opportunity to apologize. Nonetheless, his statement disappointed the team considering that he was given the chance to declare unequivocally that he had no antisemitic beliefs.

WATCH THIS STORY: Promise Me You Won?t Go and Talk??: 18-Year-Old LeBron James Rejected a $10 Million Check in the Hopes of a Bigger Payday

ADVERTISEMENT

Irving, however, issued an apology shortly after his suspension was announced. He apologized to all Jewish families and communities on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

The point guard will now be sidelined and is set to miss the Brooklyn Nets’ next round of games.

ADVERTISEMENT

What are your thoughts on Bishop Talbert Swan’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Ritvik Malhotra

353 Articles

Ritvik is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Ritvik has finally got his foot in the door as a professional sports writer. He previously interned at another media house where he authored over 150 soccer articles, but he is now writing about his primary obsession, basketball. Ritvik has been following the NBA for nearly a decade and has been a diehard fan of Kevin Durant since his heydays with the Oklahoma City Thunder. When not writing about the beautiful game, he enjoys his rock playlist and is an avid watcher of the renowned American sitcom 'The Office'.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Satagni Sikder

ADVERTISEMENT