Just days after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al Shaair ignited major controversy by appearing on ESPN during Monday Night Football coverage following a playoff win while wearing eye black that read “STOP THE GENOCIDE,” the Gaza war’s messaging is once again dominating American sports, this time inside the NBA.
Al Shaair’s message was clearly visible in televised close ups and quickly went viral across social media, triggering an immediate wave of applause from pro Palestinian activists and anti Israel voices who framed his statement as brave and long overdue, while critics accused him of spreading inflammatory propaganda through sports.
Now, the spotlight has shifted to Dallas.
Kyrie Irving Wears “PRESS” Shirt During Mavericks Game
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving sparked a new firestorm after wearing a shirt that read “PRESS” during the Mavericks’ game against the Utah Jazz, saying it was meant to honor Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.
Supporters framed it as a statement for press freedom and an attempt to spotlight the risks journalists face in war zones. Critics accused Irving of pushing a one sided narrative and using his platform to amplify messaging widely associated with the anti Israel movement, especially as the war continues to trigger intense division and rising antisemitism worldwide.
The moment rapidly spread across social media with fans and commentators debating whether Irving was honoring innocent reporters or reinforcing claims that Israel deliberately targets journalists.
Pro Palestine Crowd Praises Kyrie as Brave
Pro Palestinian activists and anti Israel voices immediately celebrated Irving’s move, calling it courageous and overdue.
Sample reactions included:
Omar Al Rashid: “Finally a major athlete using his platform for the truth.”
Lina Haddad: “Israel has been murdering journalists and the world stays silent.”
Yousef Mansour: “Every single journalist killed in Gaza was killed by the IDF and Israel knew they were press.”
Rania Al Khouri: “Wearing PRESS is the bare minimum when reporters are being slaughtered.”
Karim Nasser: “This is what real solidarity looks like. Kyrie did not stay quiet.”
Sara Ahmed: “Western media ignores Palestinian voices. Kyrie is amplifying them.”
Mustafa Darwish: “The press are being targeted for showing the truth. Respect Kyrie.”
Hassan Abu Saleh: “People stay quiet because they are scared. Kyrie stood up.”
Leila Farouk: “They killed reporters then tried to erase them. This matters.”
Amina Qureshi: “Thank you Kyrie for seeing our pain and not looking away.”
Jason Miller: “Human rights are not political. Kyrie did the right thing.”
Emily Carter: “You do not have to be Palestinian to care about journalists being killed.”
Andre Williams: “Big respect. Speak up for the people who cannot.”
Natalie Brooks: “The press should never be targets. Period.”
Miguel Torres: “This is real leadership. Not everyone has the courage.”
Many of Irving’s supporters also claimed the killings were deliberate, arguing Israel knew the victims were members of the press and struck anyway.
Pro Israel Voices Push Back
But the backlash from pro Israel users, including many Jews and Israelis, was immediate, accusing Irving of spreading propaganda and ignoring Hamas’s role in blurring the lines between civilians, media, and militants in Gaza.
Sample comments included:
Ben Adler: “Not everyone wearing a PRESS vest is a journalist. Some were Hamas operatives with cameras.”
Liam Rosen: “This is not about journalism, it is about demonizing Israel.”
Daniel Shore: “Hamas runs Gaza propaganda and people call it press.”
Maya Feld: “Kyrie never speaks for Israeli victims. Only one side gets sympathy.”
Jake Winston: “Some of these so called journalists were embedded with terror groups.”
Emma Grant: “Wearing PRESS does not prove someone is innocent.”
Matt Hollis: “If you want to honor truth, talk about hostages too.”
Chris Nolan: “Hamas uses cameras the same way it uses tunnels, as weapons.”
Samantha Reed: “This is selective outrage packaged as activism.”
Tyler Mason: “He is amplifying a narrative that fuels antisemitism.”
Noam Levi: “Hamas uses civilians as shields and propaganda as weapons. Kyrie is falling for it.”
Ari Goldstein: “They were not press. They were terrorists with microphones.”
Others argued that Hamas has weaponized media visibility and that Israel is being singled out while the terror that sparked the war and the hostages still held in Gaza are frequently ignored.
Kyrie’s Past Controversies Add Fuel to the Fire
Irving’s “PRESS” shirt did not land in a vacuum. It immediately resurfaced memories of his major antisemitism controversy in 2022, when he faced massive backlash after sharing a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which was widely condemned for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and classic anti Jewish tropes.
The situation escalated after Irving initially refused to clearly apologize or unequivocally disavow antisemitism. The Brooklyn Nets suspended him without pay, and the team reportedly set conditions for his return including education and meetings with Jewish leaders. Nike also suspended and ultimately ended its relationship with him amid intense public pressure.
For many Jewish fans and pro Israel voices, that history makes his Gaza related “PRESS” tribute feel less like neutral advocacy for journalists and more like part of a long running pattern of inflammatory activism that repeatedly targets Israel while sidelining Jewish suffering and the October 7 massacre.
The Bigger Picture
From eye black on Monday Night Football to shirts worn on the NBA court, the Gaza conflict is increasingly being fought through America’s most powerful cultural platform, sports.
To supporters, athletes are speaking out for human rights and raising awareness about suffering.
To critics, sports are becoming a megaphone for propaganda and selective outrage, where Israel is relentlessly demonized while the terror that sparked the war and the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas are often ignored.
Bottom Line
Kyrie Irving’s “PRESS” shirt may have been intended as a tribute, but in today’s climate it landed like a political grenade.
And just like the Azeez Al Shaair eye black controversy, it is another sign that the Gaza war is no longer confined to the Middle East.
It is playing out in American stadiums, on national television, and across social media, one athlete at a time.
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