STEP BY STEP
Kyrie meets with Tsai, working way back after anti-Semitic social media fiasco
It is not exactly Homer’s “Odyssey,” but Kyrie Irving has been one by one completing tasks in his winding journey back to the Nets.
A timetable is still unclear, but there is at least momentum for the suspended point guard to eventually retake the court.
In a week filled with meetings and an unfinished to-do list, Irving met with Nets owner Joe Tsai and his wife, Clara, on Thursday — which was one of the six checkpoints the organization reportedly required of Irving before he could rejoin the team — and the sitdown went well.
“Clara and I met with Kyrie and his family yesterday,” Tsai tweeted Friday afternoon. “We spent quality time to understand each other and it’s clear to me that Kyrie does not have any beliefs of hate towards Jewish people or any group.
“The Nets and Kyrie, together with the NBA and NBPA, are working constructively toward a process of forgiveness, healing and education.”
The Nets suspended Irving for a minimum of five games on Nov. 3 following his promotion on social media of a movie that contains anti-Semitic tropes, and his refusal, initially, to apologize.
In addition to the ban of at least five games (the matchup at the Clippers on Saturday will be the fifth), the Nets reportedly asked Irving to complete six steps, including apologizing (check) and meeting with Tsai (check). He also was asked to meet with Jewish leaders, representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, make a monetary donation and complete sensitivity trainings.
While Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted he is “very encouraged” by Irving’s progress, the guard still had not talked with the group as of Friday afternoon.
“While we have not yet met with Kyrie, we are encouraged by what we’ve learned about the substantive conversations he has had with Adam Silver, Joe Tsai, and others,” an ADL spokesperson said in a statement. “We trust their word that he doesn’t harbor prejudice against Jewish people or any other community.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn would not say whether Irving would join the team on its four-game, West Coast road trip, and it is possible Irving will stay behind as he continues to fill out the checklist.
Irving has met with the National Basketball Players Association in recent days, The Post confirmed. The union said it is working with “Kyrie, the Nets organization and the NBA to develop a plan to move forward through forgiveness, understanding and healing.”
The NBPA could fight the conditions of Irving’s suspension, which superstar LeBron James called “excessive” on Thursday. Union vice president Jaylen Brown has said he expects the NBPA to appeal the unpaid suspension, which will cost Irving at least $2 million.
Irving, too, met this week with Silver, who said he left with the impression that Irving “no doubt” is not anti-Semitic.
“We had a direct and candid conversation,” the NBA commissioner told The New York Times on Thursday. “He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antiSemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group.”
The Nets surprisingly have thrived without Irving, going 3-1 with blowout victories over the Wizards and Knicks and a two-point loss at Dallas.
They have run the offense through Kevin Durant, and Edmond Sumner has excelled at point guard. The defense, especially, has thrived under Vaughn and without Irving.
But nobody around the Nets is stating they are better without the seven-time All-Star.
A timetable is elusive, but both the team and star are moving toward Irving suiting up for the Nets again. Irving theoretically could return Sunday against the Lakers, though that appears to be a long shot.
“Hopefully,” forward Royce O’Neale said when asked if he expects Irving to return during the road trip. “We just want everybody to come back together and have the team continue to keep building chemistry and keep moving forward.”