Kanye West's antisemitic remarks sway Kentucky high school basketball tournament to drop Donda Academy

The Southern California-based Christian private school has two of the top 15 seniors in the nation

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Oct 25, 2022

Kanye West's antisemitic remarks sway Kentucky high school basketball tournament to drop Donda Academy /

UPDATE (Oct. 27): Donda Academy's basketball players, many of them top-level prospects, are looking for a new home. The school is reportedly shutting down for the 2022-23 school year, effective Thursday, amid a fury of backlash in the wake of Kanye West's string of antisemitic speech.

A high-profile high school basketball tournament has removed Donda Academy from the field after a recent string of antisemitic remarks by the school's founder, rapper Kanye West.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Kentucky Play By Play Classic said the Christian prep school is no longer invited to the annual tournament in Louisville on Dec. 11.

"Kanye's words and actions violate our values as a company and a country, and what we seek to ensure at all of our events — a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity and mutual respect," tournament organizer Scholastic Play By Play Classics said in a press release.

Donda Academy was originally scheduled to play North Laurel (Ky.) on Dec. 11 and will now be replaced by Imhotep Charter (Pa.).

The private Christian prep school in Simi Valley, California debuted as the No. 11 team in the nation in the preseason SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings. It is not affiliated with the California Interscholastic Federation, plays a national schedule with several highly-touted prospects and is coached by former NBA journeyman Dorell Wright.

Kentucky-bound five-star point guard Robert Dillingham is the No. 9 ranked prospect in the class of 2023 and uncommitted five-star 6-foot-5 guard AJ Johnson, the No. 15 prospect in the nation, headlines Donda Academy's roster, which also includes six of the top 250 seniors.

"While we are firm in our reasoning for this decision, it does not diminish our heartache and regret for Donda's hardworking athletes who will lose out the most as a result of Kanye's actions," the statement read.

It's the latest blowback to the rapper since he made and doubled down on a series of antisemitic comments. French fashion designer Balenciaga, talent agency CAA and sports apparel giant Adidas have all recently cut ties with West. He was also suspended from both Instagram and Twitter.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald both announced Tuesday they are cutting ties with Donda Sports, an agency founded by West, who now goes by "Ye."

Here is the new schedule for the tournament, which takes place at Freedom Hall (all times E.T.):

Woodford County (Ky.) vs. Butchel (Ohio) — 1:30 p.m.

North Oldham (Ky.) vs. Spire Institute (Ohio) — 3:15 p.m.

Trinity (Ky.) vs. Huntington Prep (W.V.) — 5 p.m.

North Laurel (Ky.) vs. Imhotep Charter (Pa.) — 6:45 p.m.

Lead photo Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today

Published Oct 25, 2022

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.