Nets Fire Steve Nash As Team Weathers Antisemitic Kyrie Irving Posts

Topline

The Brooklyn Nets fired their head coach Steve Nash, the team announced Tuesday afternoon, ending a disastrous two-year tenure for Nash, bookended by another team controversy as star point guard Kyrie Irving comes under fire for promoting a deeply antisemitic film.

Key Facts

The Nets’ statement did not cite a reason for the coaching change beyond “evaluation of how the season has begun,” but Nash’s ouster comes amid a nightmare start to the 2022-23 season on and off the court for the Nets.

Brooklyn’s 2-5 record is the third-worst in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, a surprise considering the Nets have by far the largest payroll in the conference and have three multiple-time All Stars in their starting five.

But the biggest headache for Brooklyn so far this season came off the floor, as Irving shared a video containing various harmful antisemitic tropes last week.

Brooklyn’s billionaire owner Joe Tsai acknowledged Nash needed to navigate “periods of exceptional storm surrounding the team” in a statement.

Key Background

Nash, a Hall of Fame player, took over the Brooklyn head coaching job in 2020, shortly before Irving and fellow star Kevin Durant’s first season together in New York. The Nets had a solid first season under Nash, posting the second-best record in the East before a second-round exit in the postseason to the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks. But the wheels began to fall off in the 2021-22 season, as the team suspended Irving over his refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine and traded its third star, James Harden, as the team underperformed. Irving later returned to the Nets, who were still swept in the first round of the playoffs. Durant demanded a trade from Brooklyn this summer before reconciling with management, but Irving once again became a major distraction for the antisemitism controversy, receiving condemnation from Tsai (Irving claims he’s not antisemitic as he’s an “omnist”). Nash stuck by Irving as recently as Monday night, telling reporters “I just hope that we all go through this together. There’s always an opportunity for us to grow and understand new perspectives.”

What To Watch For

Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn will take over as Brooklyn’s interim head coach, but the Nets are expected to pursue suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka for the role, according to Wojnarowski. The Celtics benched Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violating team policies by reportedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a subordinate.

Further Reading

Brooklyn Nets Condemn Kyrie Irving For Promoting Antisemitic Film (Forbes)