Irving wore keffiyeh in November to a postgame press conference
A Utah rabbi said he and three other rabbis were asked to put their "I’m a Jew and I’m proud" signs away on Monday night as the Utah Jazz took on the Dallas Mavericks at the Delta Center.
Kyrie Irving roiled the Jewish community over the last year or so when he posted a link to a film that contained antisemitic information and wore keffiyeh to a postgame press conference in November after the Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel.
Rabbi Avremi Zippel suggested he and the other rabbis wanted to show their pride with Irving in town for the game. However, Zippel said a few minutes into the game, Irving made a remark toward them about the signs and then went over to Mavericks security to allegedly complain.
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Kyrie Irving, #11 of the Dallas Mavericks, looks on during a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on Jan. 1, 2024 in Salt Lake City. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Zippel said at that moment, Jazz security came over to check their tickets and told them to put the signs away.
"That Kyrie Irving is a coward with the spine of a goldfish is not news to me," Zippel wrote in a separate post. "That the Mavericks organization covers for him, is sadly, not new to me."
The Jazz released a statement on Tuesday.
"The Utah Jazz Code of Conduct is in place so that games can be played without distraction and disruption. No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks and interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it," the team said.
"During an out-of-bounds player in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with a play of game. As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs. The part-time employee who told the fans it was the content of the sign that was the problem was incorrect.
"The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs."
The Mavericks did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Zippel wondered on X whether any other sign would have been considered a "distraction."
"Bottom line: there was one person, in a building of 18,000+, that was triggered by sign that says ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud’," he wrote. "Why that bothers him so, to the point that it sparks an interaction, should be the real question anyone is asking.
"Sadly, instead of just quietly chalking this up to a misunderstanding and letting this remain a small blip, the Jazz took the side of said triggered player and doubled down.
Luka Samanic, #19 of the Utah Jazz, drives to the basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 1, 2024. (Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
"That’s just disappointing to me."
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
