Nick Cannon is comparing Kyrie Irving's suspension conditions to the savage practice of buck-breaking done in slavery.
On Tuesday (Nov. 8), the 2 Hate or Not 2 Hate Podcast, which appears to be cohosted by Cannon and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, shared a snippet of the debut episode on Instagram. In the clip, the duo discuss Kyrie Irving being issued a five-game suspension for sharing an anti-Semitic documentary on social media. Nick, who has faced his own anti-Semitic issues in the past, defended the Brooklyn Nets point-guard.
"I can wholeheartedly say I know Kyrie Irving is not anti-Semitic," began Nick Cannon.
"When given the chance to say, 'Are you anti-semitic or not,' he didn’t say, 'No I’m not anti-semitic,'" replied Greenblatt. "At the press conference, tell us about that movie. While he did, he said, 'stop dehumanizing me.' And the movie is saying White Jews invented the holocaust and 6 million Jews didn’t get killed. OK, I know that isn’t right because there’s a gigantic historical record. Jewish people know, when you dehumanize us this way, we know what’s around the corner."
Nick Cannon responded, "So in that same statement as, 'Those are the tropes that dehumanize Jewish people,' the same buck-breaking…"
He was then cut short by Greenblatt and asked to define the term "buck-breaking."
"The slave masters would bring the buck, the one that gets out of line, so all the other slaves would see, lash after lash, show them the power to set an example," Cannon explained. "This is what you must do to fall in line. So, when we see the six things that Kyrie must do to get his job back, that’s dehumanizing."
Irving initially refused to apologize for disseminating anti-Semitic material until he was suspended for five games on Nov. 4. He has since released an apology on Instagram.
"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," the post reads. "I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all."
As part of his punishment, Kyrie must also complete the following requirements: Apologize and condemn the film he promoted. Make a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes. Complete sensitivity training. Complete anti-semetism training. Meet with the ADL and Jewish leaders. Meet with team owner Joe Tsai to demonstrate an understanding of the situation.
Nick Cannon isn't the only rapper to come to Kyrie Irving's defense. The Game recently expressed his disappointment in Nike for dropping Irving due to the turmoil.