Kevin Durant believes critics of USA basketball are targeting Black Americans
· Yahoo Sports
Don't tell Kevin Durant that the rest of the world is catching up to the United States in basketball.
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The NBA superstar made some interesting comments about how the rest of the world stacks up against the U.S. in the sport, and race potentially playing a factor in people's perception, while talking to ESPN on Feb. 23.
Durant's comments came in a story that said that the Houston Rockets star planned to play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Durant, who played for the Phoenix Suns for nearly three seasons before being traded to Houston, was critical of USA basketball critics in his comments, saying that they are targeting Black Americans.
Never one to mince words, Durant said: "It's a lot of bulls--- with that."
What Kevin Durant said about criticism of USA basketball: 'It's a shot at Black Americans'
"I just don't like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game," Durant told ESPN. "All I hear is, 'AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.'
"It's a lot of bulls--- with that. I can read between the lines on that. It's a shot at Black Americans. We're controlling the sport. They're tired of us controlling the sport.
"'France is coming for you.' Really? We smacked them boys," he said.
The ESPN story pointed out that an American player hasn't been named an NBA MVP since James Harden in 2018, but Durant clearly was not buying the talk that other countries have caught up to the United States.
Durant was the NBA's MVP in 2014.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kevin Durant slams USA basketball critics, 'targeting Black Americans'