Are we really supposed to believe that it’s a genuine change of heart and not a response to a pressure campaign from his employers? Like most Instagram apologies, Irving’s felt a bit perfunctory and performative, not least because it came the same day he was suspended indefinitely by the Nets over the controversy. Are we really supposed to believe that Irving underwent such a massive amount of personal growth in the span of hours? Are we really supposed to believe that it’s a genuine change of heart and not a response to a pressure campaign from his employers? And if they’d actually done that, well — who knows, they might have even spared us from having to read yet another celebrity apology on Instagram.

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