Kyrie Irving SUSPENDED after brutal DUNKING from Shaq, Charles Barkley



On Thursday evening, the Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving without pay for a minimum of five games after the NBA star refused, for the second time, to apologize for a tweet that many saw as a form of anti-Semitic hate speech.

Irving posted a link to the 2018 movie "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” last week, then twice refused to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs," according to a Thursday night statement from the Nets.

"We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity — but failed — to clarify," the statement read.

"Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

Just hours after the Nets announced his suspension, Irving apologized in an Instagram post.

"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.


On a recent episode of "Fearless," BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock said he believes Irving has been unfairly vilified and demonized over a "sentence-less" tweet about "a documentary that no one is watching." He compared Irving's tweet to HBO host Bill Maher's "anti-Christian" documentary “Religulous,” pointing out that no one called for HBO or corporations to discipline Maher.

"Fourteen years ago, you could write and star in a documentary with the expressed intention to offend, mock, and challenge conventional wisdom without people demanding that you lose your job," Whitlock stated.

Tuesday on “Inside the NBA,” Charles Barkley called for Irving's suspension, saying the “NBA dropped the ball” and "I can't believe we're talking about this idiot."

\u201c"I think he should have been suspended. Adam Silver should have suspended him. They made a mistake. I can't believe we're talking about this idiot."\n\nCharles Barkley on Kyrie Irving\n\n#NBATwitter\u201d
— \ud835\ude4f\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude61\ud835\ude60\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude63\u2019 \ud835\ude49\ud835\ude3d\ud835\ude3c (@\ud835\ude4f\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude61\ud835\ude60\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude63\u2019 \ud835\ude49\ud835\ude3d\ud835\ude3c) 1667345070

Shaquille O’Neal also called Irving an "idiot."

\u201c\u201cIt hurts me sometimes when we have to sit up here to talk about stuff that divides the game. That we gotta answer for what this idiot has done.\u201d\n\nShaq speaks on Kyrie Irving\u201d
— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1667346124

Whitlock, however, suggested there just might be another reason why Barkley and Shaq were really so outraged about Kyrie’s off-hours musings that they called for the NBA to suspend him.

"One tweet about a documentary no one is watching sparked this much outrage? I don’t think so," he said.

Watch the full episode of "Fearless with Jason Whitlock" below to hear more from Jason. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


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Shaquille O’Neal surprises Atlanta man at jewelry store — and buys his fiancée’s engagement ring for him



NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal played the role of good Samaritan this week and threw down his own money to pay for a fan's engagement ring.

What are the details?

This week an Atlanta man — and O'Neal fan — got the surprise of his life when he arrived at an area Zales store to pay off the ring he was buying for his fiancée.

He approached an employee and asked what his balance was on the gift, and that's when O'Neal — who has his own jewelry collection at Zales — stepped in and handed over a bank card.

During Wednesday's "NBA on TNT," O'Neal recalled the moment.

"I seen a guy come in — he was just so shy and he was saying, 'Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring?'" O'Neal said. "And I was like, 'How much is the ring?'"

He added that the man buying the ring was a "young kid, a hardworking guy" and the ring had been on layaway, where the man made payments.

"I said, 'You know what, tell your girlfriend I got it. Take care of her.' And at first he didn't want to take it," O'Neal recalled, but the customer ended up gratefully accepting the basketball star's generous gift.

Social media video shows the moment O'Neal pays for the ring and shakes the customer's hand.

.@SHAQ saw this young man buying an engagement ring and decided to pay for it 👏 (via @shaqfu_radio) https://t.co/svMeqCT3e4
— ESPN (@ESPN)1617771525.0

What else?

During the Wednesday broadcast, O'Neal said that he strives to perform acts of kindness every day

"The other day, me and my mom went furniture shopping, and this lady, she had [a daughter with autism] and she was looking to pay for some furniture," he recalled. "I just took care of her. Whenever I leave the house, I just try to do a good deed."

He added that he doesn't make such gestures for recognition and didn't even know that the ring story made as many headlines as it had.

"I didn't mean for [the ring story] to get out, 'cause I don't do it for that," the basketball legend explained. "I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

"I'm just trying to make people smile... That's all."@SHAQ helped a young man out at a local jewelry store by pay… https://t.co/KuHLBBXTyH
— NBA on TNT (@NBA on TNT)1617772719.0

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal speak out in defense of police in Breonna Taylor case

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal have both spoken out in defense of the police in the tragic incident that took the life of Breonna Taylor during a shootout between her boyfriend and the police.