Forward Kevin Durant found himself in the rare opportunity to express support for a member of the media; the same media that talked, bashed, and at times discredited his rightfully-earned championship after choosing to sign with the Golden State Warriors last offseason.
The 28-year-old has spent his offseason in Los Angeles and was spotted by TMZ Sports, who asked him if it was a fireable offense to call President Donald Trump a white supremacist the way ESPN sports anchor Jemele Hill did earlier this week.
“Hey, look man, I play basketball and I'm behind Jemele, I support her,” said Durant. “That's what it's all about. She stands up for what she believes in, and I'm with it.”
Asked if the network was wrong to (allegedly) try and replace her with another black sports anchor, Durant said “yup” — turning back to his ride.
Hill recently said on Twitter that “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/other white supremacists” — action which has garnered plenty of red flags for the network, even after her apology over Twitter.
Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
So, to address the elephant in the room … #Facts pic.twitter.com/RTrIDD87ut
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 14, 2017
Latest White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was questioned about it on Wednesday, with her response stating that Hill's criticism of the president should be considered a “fireable offense by ESPN” — notably the first time the podium of public office has been used to suggest the firing of an employee.
Trump doubled down on that response early on Friday, taking to Twitter and demanding an apology from the network while trashing the network's reputation while he was at it.
ESPN is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers. Apologize for untruth!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
Hill clearly apologized for how the tweet was perceived, not for her beliefs, but for how it painted her opinion as a general consensus of the company she works for.
With Trump putting pressure on the network to take action, ESPN will soon be forced to come up with a way to settle affairs before this situation implodes, even if her opinions have the support of the Finals MVP.
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