Michael Rapaport and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets were involved in a heated exchange on Instagram recently, which resulted in Durant being fined $50,000 by the NBA. After seeing the league penalize Durant, Rapaport shared his disappointment in being involved in the situation in any capacity.
“I feel bad about it,” Rapaport said Friday on Instagram, shortly after Durant was fined $50,000 by the NBA for vulgar messages he sent the famed actor, via Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. “I feel bad about my involvement in the situation. I feel bad that it’s gotten this far. I met him one time. It was cool, cordial. I’m a fan. I met him as a fan.”
Earlier this week, Durant made headlines when Rapaport released images of a conversation he had with Durant on Instagram. Durant began the conversation by messaging Rapaport about a tweet he made about the superstar forward for the Nets after an interview on TNT's NBA show.
Emotions were running high when Durant would send messages filled with vulgar language toward Rapaport, only for Rapaport to respond back with profanities. Once Rapaport revealed the messages, NBA stars weighed in, with P.J. Tucker of the Milwaukee Bucks saying that Durant shouldn't be punished for his involvement.
Nevertheless, the league stepped in after looking into the situation, fining Durant $50,000 for his actions on social media. While Kevin Durant will have to pay a fine for his choice of words to Rapaport, Rapaport is attempting to show his remorse for allowing the incident to escalate to where it did.