Kyrie Irving apologizes 'deeply,' is questionable for Sunday

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In his most formal apology to date, Irving said that he was not antisemitic and that he wanted to apologize deeply.

Irving told SNY that he's not antisemitic. I haven't been. I have no hatred for the Jewish people or anyone who identifies as a Jew. I'm not anti-Semitic or anything like that. It's hard to sit at home with my family when they see all of this. Explaining myself is easy because I know who I am. It's difficult to understand the power of my voice and the influence I have. I want to make a difference and change, but I am not a celebrity. I have to set a better example for our youth by living a responsible life. My generation and the older generation.

Irving is serving a team-imposed suspension that has forced him to miss the last eight games, but he has been listed as questionable to play on Sunday.

Irving was suspended for a while for his conduct on social media.

According to sources, Irving was close to completing the process needed for a return and could rejoin the Nets as early as Sunday.

Irving said he has had conversations recently that have given him a better idea of how his posts hurt people.

Irving told SNY that he wanted to focus on the hurt he caused or the impact he had on the Jewish community. I apologize for all my actions for the time that it has been since the post was first put up. If I could do it over, I would focus on healing and repairing my relationships with my Jewish relatives, brothers and sisters.

Several players were hopeful that Irving would be back in the lineup on Sunday, despite the fact that the Nets had lost their last five games.

Irving said that it was a learning experience to be honest with him. It was necessary to have a lot of conversations and heal a lot of hurt. A lot of thinking. I was able to do that with some people from the Jewish community. From the Black community, from the white community, I've had a lot of conversations with them.

Try to find a better view of how we live. I stand for peace. I don't condone any hate speech or any prejudice and I don't want to be in a situation where I'm being misinterpreted on where I stand in regards to antisemitism or any hate for that matter for anyone in this world.