Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving said he did not ask for a courtside sign to be removed during a game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City this week, even after there was an interaction between the player and a prominent Jazz fan who wanted to see Irving play in person following Irving's suspension from the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 for posting a link to an anti-Semitic film on his social media.
Avremi Zippel, a rabbi who has held Jazz season tickets since 2016 and lit a menorah during a halftime Hanukkah ceremony at a Jazz-Knicks game in December, sat Monday evening with a sign that read, “I am Jewish and I” I'm proud.” The message referred to the widespread backlash that resulted from Irving's post and comments, which led to an eight-game suspension, an eventual apology and the termination of his Nike sponsorship.
After an exchange with Irving in the first quarter, Zippel was asked by Jazz officials to switch seats a few rows back or stop displaying the sign. Zippel, Irving and two others familiar with the situation told The Athletic on condition of anonymity that the Jazz decided to ask Zippel to stop displaying the sign after Mavericks safety discussed the issue with Jazz safety .
Zippel said in an interview with The Athletic and in a post on Instagram that he took a photo with his group, which included his father, brother and brother-in-law, holding up signs on the field before the game and The ball held signs in front of arena security personnel at the start of the game without any problems.
Then, during the first quarter, Irving walked near his group while running a ball, saw the sign and said, “Nice, I'm Jewish too,” Zippel said.
“And I said, ‘Cool. Happy New Year, buddy,'” Zippel said. “He threw the ball in, and as he dribbled down the field he shouted over his shoulder, 'You can't bring a sign like that to a game.'”
A few minutes later, Zippel was asked to remove the signs from the sidelines.
Irving told The Athletic after the Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night that he did not ask for the signs to be removed. “I wish him and his family all the best,” Irving said. “He won’t be disrespectful. That’s not my MO.”
In a statement, the Jazz said the signs were removed because they interfered with game play and the team had no issue with the message on the signs.
“The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by the use of the signs, not the content of the signs,” the team said in its statement.
Sports leagues around the world have different policies regarding signage in arenas. The NBA's Code of Conduct sets guidelines for the size of signs (none larger than 11 x 17 inches), but does not mention the content of the signs. These guidelines are far less restrictive than those of the International Olympic Committee, which more broadly prohibits fans from expressing support for any causes during the Olympics.
In response to a message seeking comment, the NBA referred to its written code of conduct.
Zippel said he had been planning to attend the game for some time because he felt it was important to attend a game that Irving was attending in order to “be fully present as a visible Jew.” He said he checked the Jazz sign policy before deciding to participate and received mixed messages about the sign rules during the game. He said he was told by a Jazz executive that the team made its decision based on the interaction with Irving on court.
“I think it's a no-holds-barred rule, and that was kind of the most frustrating part, other than the interaction with Kyrie and the fact that a sign like that bothers him,” Zippel said. “The confusion from the organization was, I think, the most disappointing part.”
(Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)