After touching off a firestorm by tweeting a link to a movie with anti-Semitic messages — and defiantly vowing not to stand down despite public outcry — Kyrie Irving finally deleted the tweet over three much-scrutinized days later. 

Irving had shared a link to the Amazon page for the movie just after 2 p.m. Thursday, and despite statements from the Nets and NBA along with a public rebuke from team owner Joe Tsai, the All-Star had refused to take the tweet down. 

“I respect what Joe said, but there has a lot to do with the, not ego or pride of how proud I am to be an African heritage, but also to be living as a free black man here in America, knowing the historical complexities for me to get here,” Irving had said. “So I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.” 

It’s up for debate whether Irving stood down. What’s clear is the tweet was taken down Sunday night. 

Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt had personally talked with Tsai about the matter, a source told the Post. 

Nets GM Sean Marks declined comment on whether any in-house discipline was coming, and a league source hadn’t heard of any plans to fine or suspend Irving. As a vice president of t he NBA players’ association, Irving would have the backing of the union in such an event. And while the Nets spoke with Irving, they started him Saturday against the Pacers and are expected to do so again in Monday’s rematch. 

Both the league and the team issued statements decrying anti-Semitism and hate speech, but conspicuously didn’t mention Irving. It was only Tsai who publicly rebuked his star by name in a tweet timestamped 11:29 p.m. Friday, the same day he’d spoken with Greenblatt, according to a source close to the situation. 

“Thanks to my friend @joetsai1999 and @BrooklynNets for responding quickly to condemn the promotion of #antisemitic hate speech. All of us at @ADL appreciate your leadership and look forward to continuing our discussions,” Greenblatt tweeted. 

“The social media posts from, @KyrieIrving, are troubling. The book and film he promotes trade in deeply #antisemitic themes including those promoted by dangerous sects of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement. Irving should clarify now.” 

It strains credulity to think by Saturday that Irving was still unaware of how his posts were viewed. Yet he still dug in his heels, adamantly claiming he hadn’t hurt anybody and refusing to delete the tweet until Sunday night. 

“There’s things being posted every day. I’m no different than the next human being, so don’t treat me any different,” Irving said. “You guys come in here and make up this powerful influence that I have over the adultery of ‘You, you cannot post that.’ Why not? Why not? Everybody posts everything else.” 

In the same terse nine-minute discussion with reporters, Irving admitted “I’m in a unique position to have a level of influence on my community.” He has 17.5 million followers on Instagram and another 4.5 million on Twitter. 

Richard Jefferson — who starred on the Nets’ 2002 and ’03 Finals teams — eloquently explained Saturday on the YES Network’s game broadcast exactly why Irving’s post was indeed tacit endorsement even if he wants to claim otherwise. And that endorsement carries not just weight but responsibility. 

“It’s tough because it’s disappointing. Kyrie says he’s not anti-Semitic. But the tweet is still up; the tweet’s still up there,” Jefferson said. “Earlier in the summer Kyrie also posted Alex Jones who basically tortured a bunch of families … in Connecticut after the Sandy Hook tragedy. He was torturing those families and Kyrie posted a video from this man [although] it wasn’t about that specific thing. 

“You have to understand how to use social media that has effects, how it can affect people. And if you’re insensitive to that then you’re truly endorsing that. So to say that and not take it down, to repost Alex Jones, you are endorsing them and giving them your social media platform with millions and millions of followers. You’re giving them an endorsement. You’re saying ‘Look at this man, look at this movie.’ Those things have effects and people have to understand that.”