NBA star Kevin Durant has apologized for comments about his trip to India which he described as “20 years behind” the times and resembling a US slum.
The Golden State Warrior player was in India recently to hold a series of basketball camps. On Friday he apologized in a tweet and said he is looking forward to going back.
“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,” Durant wrote.
“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...” he said.
In an interview with The Athletic, Durant said he expected the comforts of an oil rich nation and he did not think he would see muddy streets and people living in ramshackle homes around the Taj Mahal.
“As I was driving up to the Taj Mahal, like I said, I thought that this would be holy ground, super protected, very very clean,” he said. “And as I’m driving up, it’s like, s-, this used to remind me of some neighborhoods I would ride through as a kid.”
“Mud in the middle of the street, houses were not finished but there were people living in them. No doors. No windows. The cows in the street, stray dogs and then, boom, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world,” Durant said.
Durant said it felt like he was going back in time.
“I’m thinking I’m going to be around palaces and royalty and gold — basically thought I was going to Dubai,” he said.
“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. You see cows in the street, monkeys running around everywhere, hundreds of people on the side of the road, a million cars and no traffic violations,” he said.
“Just a bunch of underprivileged people there and they want to learn how to play basketball,” he added.
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