NBA star Kevin Durant made a public apology for the words he has used to describe India, which includes saying the country is “20 years behind.” The Golden State Warriors forward took to his Twitter and Facebook accounts his message, explaining his words were taken out of context.
Kevin Durant’s apology tried to explain his side
On his tweet today, the basketball star expressed his apologies regarding his interview in India. According to Durant, his comments “were taken out of context.”
The 2017 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player further said that he is annoyed about how his comments have turned out.
He also admitted it was his fault and he was not careful with the words he has used.
Furthermore, the NBA star expressed his gratitude for his trip in India. He also said he would come back to do more basketball camps and cool stuff there.
He actually came to help India
Durant came to New Delhi, India on July 27 with the goal to support the overwhelming growth of basketball in that nation. He was invited to coach the potential players at The NBA Academy India. He became the first NBA player, who is currently active in the league, to visit the said school.
Moreover, he also came to lead the basketball clinic that registered 5,000 young people from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Program. The event earned a Guinness Book of World Records for conducting the largest basketball session in the world.
He even donated two new basketball courts through the Courts Renovation Initiative of his own foundation. The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation has a project called “BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL” that aims to build courts and shape the future of the young generation all over the world.
Which comments sounded offensive?
In the interview with The Athletic, fans could spot some descriptions that turned out offensive to the nation of India.
These statements are what Durant claims to have been taken out of context and that he was not careful with the words he has used.
The transcribed interview notes that Durant said that he immediately saw how “rough” the culture and life of the Indians when his plane landed in the country. He also used “20 years behind” when he described the country in terms of experience and knowledge.
Durant also expressed an eye-opener from his trip to India. He said he expected that the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, would have been a “holy ground” and extremely clean. Unfortunately, when he drove to the famous tourist spot, he saw outside the Taj Mahal some people living in houses with “no doors, no windows” and “cows in the street.”
For more details on his trip to India, check out below video posted by Kevin Durant on his official YouTube account.
