Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray had some incendiary comments on social media that sparked pointed responses from a handful of San Antonio Spurs fans.
It started with the new Hawks star posting a rather eye-catching message on Twitter about feeling “free” and “wanted” – one that he eventually deleted.
“I Feel FREE And I Feel WANTED…. 💯 BEST Season Along With Being HAPPY On The Way I Promise!!!! 😤,” said Dejounte Murray via Twitter on Monday.
https://twitter.com/SpursNicky/status/1548836013195272194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1548836013195272194%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
Then things overflowed onto Instagram, as some trolls started going at Dejounte in the comments section of his posts, wherein the All-Star guard responded with rather contentious words:
“The Way That System Set Up You Gone Be Losing For The Next 15 Yrs!!! Problem Bigger Than Basketball,” responded Murray to one commenter who shaded him.
What exactly was Dejounte Murray referring to when talking about the “system”? Was that a subtle jab at the Spurs front office, head coach Gregg Popovich, or maybe both?
Ambiguity aside, Spurs fans were quick to react on Twitter, expressing mixed emotions of betrayal and disappointment:
https://twitter.com/thehalestone/status/1548820695940968448
But not everyone was against him. Spurs reporter Carolina Teague was vocal about Dejounte's very first post that started it all, emphasizing that just because he was saying he feels “free” and “wanted”, doesn't automatically make it a major slight against the team that he came from.
Dejounte Murray himself has been all kinds of complimentary to the Spurs and its fan base during his conversations with the media and even posted a heartfelt message to the city of San Antonio just a few weeks back.
It's clear this entire thing is more nuanced than it seems. But of course, the internet is nothing but reactionary with athletes and public figures rarely being given the benefit of the doubt.