Kevin Durant Responds To Racism Allegations Following His Controversial Trash Talk During The South Sudan Game

Kevin Durant Responds To Racism Allegations Following His Controversial Trash Talk During The South Sudan GameKevin Durant (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)
Kevin Durant responded to his trash language during Team USA‘s 2024 Olympic clash against South Sudan on Wednesday, amid criticism for his purportedly racist statements. The two-time NBA champion clarified on X, the former Twitter platform, that the taunts were harmless banter and that everything was well at the end of the game.

Kevin Durant got into a verbal altercation with South Sudan coach Royal Ivey during Wednesday’s Group C match between Team USA and South Sudan. In the second half of the game, Durant was sulking at the other as he walked to the line to try two free shots. Ivey’s statements escaped detection by the microphone, while Durant’s purported remarks went viral.

Durant tweeted, “It’s just banter. We hugged it out after the game.”

“Y’all n*ggas ain’t tough,” Durant said during the game. The game ended on Wednesday with Team USA defeating South Sudan 103-86 to win handily. In 22 minutes, Kevin Durant scored 14 points, grabbed two rebounds, dished out three assists, and committed three thefts.

 

With the victory, Team USA moved up to the top of the Group C standings and, with a 2-0 record thus far, qualified for the Olympic event’s quarterfinals. South Sudan, however, dropped to a 1-1 record and will play Serbia on Thursday to decide its fate in the competition.

Royal Ivey And Kevin Durant Shared Mutual Respect Amid Trash Talk

South Sudan’s coach, Royal Ivey, discussed the issue with the trash talk and provided clarification following Wednesday’s match against Team USA. Ivey revealed that the conversation that occurred while Kevin Durant walked to the free-throw line started when he ordered him to quit whining about the foul calls.

Ivey explained, “That’s brotherly love. I don’t lie; I tell the truth. They were fouling, and he got fouled, and he was like, ‘Play basketball!’ And I’m like, ‘How are we supposed to play basketball? You are all playing touch like it’s football.’ So, we exchanged a couple of words, and I moved on.”

The bond between Kevin Durant and Royal Ivey dates back to their days as teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2010. Although Ivey’s NBA playing career ended in 2014, he and Durant remain friends. We’ll have to see if these teams will meet again at later stages of the Olympics.

Travis Kelce’s Arrowhead Stadium Suite Gets Major Update With Incredible Feature That Taylor Swift Is Going To Love

Travis Kelce on golf course and Taylor Swift on stageTravis Kelce and Taylor Swift (Photos via Getty Images)
Travis Kelce’s VIP suite at Arrowhead Stadium, which is a place he can never use since he is actually playing in games, just got a significant update.

The 34-year-old NFL star’s VIP suite at Arrowhead Stadium was recently updated with a nod to Taylor Swift.

TikTok user Regan, who goes by the handle @regans.version, was touring Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium when she made a point to inspect Travis Kelce’s VIP suite, where his friends and family sit to cheer him on at games.

In a TikTok video, Regan shared a picture of the suite and stated how excited she was when she spotted an Eras Tour poster on the wall. “This is where Taylor gets to sit! Also, the fact that there is an Eras Tour poster in this room is so funny to me,” she wrote in a caption.