Kyrie Irving wears PRESS shirt for Gaza journalists at NBA All-Star Game

Basketball star honours media workers in Gaza, nearly 300 of whom have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023.Published On 16 Feb 2026Basketball superstar Kyrie Irving has worn a shirt reading “PRESS” at the NBA All-Star Game to honour journalists covering Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.“Dedicated to our beloved journalists in Gaza showing the world the truth,” read the tag on the shirt that the Dallas Mavericks point guard wore on Sunday, according to reports.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘De facto annexation’: Palestinians slam Israel’s West Bank land planslist 2 of 3Gaza author and analyst Jehad Abusalim on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’list 3 of 3Thousands of Western nationals fought Israel’s war on Gaza: What to knowend of listIsraeli attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 300 journalists and media workers since the war began in October 2023, or about 12 journalists every month, including 10 Al Jazeera journalists.The tally by Shireen.ps – a monitoring website named after Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist killed by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank in 2022 – means that the war on Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for media professionals in modern history.According to a report in January by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the number of Palestinian journalists imprisoned by Israel has also risen since the onset of the war. The journalists rights group noted that Israel had arrested more than 90 Palestinian journalists during that period.Besides killing and imprisoning journalists, Israel has also banned foreign reporters from entering Gaza. The only exceptions have been allowing journalists to enter as part of tightly controlled tours organised by the Israeli military despite calls from media groups and press freedom organisations for more open access.Kyrie Irving and his father, Drederick Irbing, at the NBA All-Star Game [Nathaniel S Butler/NBAE via Getty]Sunday’s courtside appearance was not the first time Irving, 33, has displayed his support for Palestinians in Gaza.