Advertisement

Kevin Durant called India ’20 years behind,’ and he’s sorry it was taken out of context

FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant reacts after scoring against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of Game 5 of basketball's NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif.
FILE - In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant reacts after scoring against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of Game 5 of basketball's NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

Basketball star Kevin Durant has issued an apology for calling India “20 years behind” and several other comments about the Asian country.

The Golden State Warriors forward tweeted on Friday that he’s “sorry that my comments about India were taken out of context.”

Coverage of the Golden State Warriors on Globalnews.ca:

Story continues below advertisement

Durant said he plans to return to India to run more basketball camps and meant no disrespect.

Durant travelled to India recently and spoke about the trip in an interview with The Athletic website published this week.

In the interview, Durant marveled at the “cows in the street, monkeys running around everywhere, hundreds of people on the side of the road” and visible poverty.

READ MORE: Kevin Durant agrees to join Golden State Warriors

“It’s a country that’s 20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience,” he said, adding that his visit to the Taj Mahal was eye-opening and not what he’d imagined.

He’d expected the monument to be “holy ground, super protected, very, very clean,” but instead as he drove up it reminded him of places where he grew up, he said.

“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.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices