Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets sent highly offensive and ugly messages to actor Michael Rapaport. The NBA has fined Durant $50,000 for sending those messages.
Kevin Durant lost self-control when he sent direct messages to Rapaport which the actor then made public. Durant used several derogatory terms which don't have to be repeated here. You can look them up for yourself in the interests of making the public record absolutely clear and fully documented.
The episode involving Kevin Durant brings up the simple point that while another person might be in the wrong (even severely so), using vicious language to identify that wrongdoing or express a grievance is, first, unproductive — it does nothing to solve the problem or improve the situation. Second, it erodes the moral high ground one might feel he possesses. Durant probably felt he had the high ground, but he forfeited it with this ugly display.
Kevin Durant has long been known as a person who doesn't have a lot of restraint on social media — both in terms of staying away from social media in the first place, and then refraining from sending pointed, fiery words to critics, questioners, and anyone who might challenge or confront him on anything.
This tendency of Kevin Durant to get roped into contentious and highly emotional interactions on Twitter is a part of his career and his story as a professional athlete. Right or wrong, fair or foul, Durant's various actions and decisions — such as his choice to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors after the 2016 NBA season — are viewed differently compared to other NBA superstars. These social media exchanges don't represent the entire reason for the spotlight often placed on Durant, but they certainly represent a powerful driving force.
Kevin Durant simply ought to know better. He has been through too many social media confrontations to not realize how to exercise due discretion, even in direct messages as opposed to fully public tweets. Screengrabs are real.
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