Utah Jazz Confirm Fans Were Asked to Remove ‘I’m a Jew and I’m Proud’ Signs Directed at Kyrie Irving

"No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks an interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it," the team stated.

January 4, 2024

The Utah Jazz released a statement addressing an incident involving four rabbis who sat courtside during Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks and directed pro-Jewish signs at Kyrie Irving.

"During an out-of-bounds play 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 play of game," the Jazz said in the statement obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. "As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs."

Rabbi Avremi Zippel, a Salt Lake City resident and Jazz fan, tells the newspaper that he wanted to attend the game against the Mavericks because of Irving.

"Some of the things that Kyrie said about the Jewish community and about Holocaust denial were vile and disgusting," Zippel said.

Irving was suspended by the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 after sharing a link to a documentary widely considered to be anti-Semitic. The Nets explained that Kyrie's suspension was due in part to his inability to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film."

Kyrie later issued an apology, stating he does not "have hate in my heart for the Jewish people or anyone that identifies as a Jew."

When Zippel and three others showed up to Monday's game, they had signs that read, "I'm a Jew and I'm proud."

According to his account, Zippel said Irving saw the sign early in the first quarter and told them, "No need to bring that to a game." Kyrie allegedly spoke with members of the Mavericks' security team during a subsequent timeout. The men were eventually approached by Jazz officials who asked them to put the signs away.

"The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs," the statement from the Jazz continued.

Zippel shared his response to Utah's statement, saying the alleged “arena policy” quoted to him was “invented” in that very moment. He concluded his thread—as seen below—by writing, “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’. 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. That’s just disappointing to me.”