Kevin Durant Apologises for Comments on India

Kevin Durant has apologized for the disparaging comments against India that he made in a recent interview. The American basketball player posted messages on social media on August 11, saying he is “sorry that my comments about India were taken out of context”.

The 28-year-old NBA champion Golden State Warriors member was in India last month as part of his efforts to promote basketball around the world. He tweeted that his comments about the poor conditions in the country were “taken out of context”. He added that he should have “worded it better”.

Durant’s Apology

His posted on Twitter: “Sorry that my comments about India were taken out of context, I’m grateful for the time I’ve got to spend there and I’m really pissed about how my comments came off, that’s my fault, should’ve worded that better. I spoke about the difference between my imagination and reality there in Delhi and about where the game is compared to the rest of the world. No offense from this side, I’m coming back out there for more camps and cool shit. Sorry…” [SIC]

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— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 11, 2017

What Durant Apologised For

In an interview with the Atlantic this week, he recalled his visit, saying the “cows in the street, monkeys running around everywhere, hundreds of people on the side of the road” and the poor living conditions of people. “Just a bunch of underprivileged people there and they want to learn how to play basketball. That — was really, really dope to me,” he said.

Durant’s comments drew a lot of reactions online, with many people questioning the research he did about the destination, before undertaking the visit. He had said in the interview: “India, I’m thinking I’m going to be around palaces and royalty and gold — basically thought I was going to Dubai,” he said in the interview. “Then when I landed there, I saw the culture and how they live and it was rough. It’s a country that’s 20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience.” He talked about his visit to the Taj Mahal, saying he had expected the Mughal monument to be “holy ground, super protected, very, very clean”. But what he saw, he said, was very different. “Mud in the middle of the street, houses were not finished but there were people living in them. No doors. No windows … stray dogs and then, boom, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world,” he said.

Trip to India

Durant was on his debut trip to India in July, during which he toured the country, coached the top local prospects in the game, and even set a Guinness World record for the world’s largest basketball lesson (multiple venues), in which 3,459 children participated.