First and foremost, I am not surprised either West or Irving harbor such views. West has long had an unpleasant disposition going back to when he claimed former President Bush didn't care about black people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina or interrupting people during their moment in the sun (i.e. Beck, Taylor Swift). He comes across as a hateful person. It was only a matter of time before he set his sight upon Jews. As for Kyrie Irving, he has exhibited a tendency towards conspiracy theories - claiming the Earth is flat, the JFK assassination and COVID vaccines. Anti-Semitism is the world's oldest conspiracy theory. So it is only natural he would progress (or perhaps regress) towards Holocaust denial.
Both West and Irving have faced consequences for their hatred of Jews (albeit belatedly) with West losing an endorsement deal with Adidas and Irving losing an endorsement deal from Nike and being indefinitely suspended by the Brooklyn Nets. However, both men yield a great deal of influence and there is a segment of the population who will view them as martyrs particularly in the African-American community. In the case of West, it is remarkable to see white supremacists come to champion him. It is even more remarkable to see mainstream Republicans defend him while looking the other way at his anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, most of Irving's NBA colleagues have been silent on his views.
As such I suspect that the setbacks for West and Irving are only temporary. West will record another album, Irving will eventually return to the NBA and both will get new shoe endorsement deals with a critical mass of this country in their corner. In time, I fear that anti-Semitism will become a mainstream point of view in the United States and the public support for West and Irving will go a long way in making this come to pass.
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