Key facts
- Kyrie Irving offered to pay the $11,492 fine for NFL player Azeez al-Shaair.
- Azeez al-Shaair was fined for displaying the name 'Hind Rajab' on his face during a game.
- Hind Rajab was a five-year-old Palestinian child killed in Gaza.
- Macklemore pledged to donate $1 million from his Ed Sheeran tour earnings to Palestinian relief organizations.
- Robert Kraft pledged $2 million to aid in the region.
- Four opening acts withdrew from Ed Sheeran's tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
NBA star Kyrie Irving has offered to pay the $11,492 fine levied against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez al-Shaair for displaying the name of a slain Palestinian child, Hind Rajab, on his face during a game. The NFL classified the message as an unauthorized personal statement.
Al-Shaair has previously been fined for wearing "Stop the Genocide" tape and customized cleats supporting the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. His latest message consisted of the name of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who died in Gaza in January 2024 after her family's car came under Israeli fire.
Irving's offer to cover the fine was seen as a show of solidarity and an amplification of the Palestinian cause, particularly as athletes and artists face pressure from powerful institutions to remain silent on the issue. Irving himself has previously worn a shirt dedicated to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza and appeared publicly with symbols associated with Palestine.
This dynamic has been visible elsewhere this week, with rapper Macklemore being removed from remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran's tour for pro-Palestinian remarks. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, acknowledged objecting to Macklemore's performance, citing antisemitic rhetoric rather than advocacy for Palestinians. However, the attempt to remove Macklemore led to several other artists, including Finneas, withdrawing from Sheeran's tour in solidarity.
Macklemore subsequently announced he would donate $1 million in net earnings from the tour to organizations supporting Palestinians, and had challenged Robert Kraft to match his donation. Kraft pledged $2 million to aid in the region.