Kevin Durant Apologizes For Tweets Bashing Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA superstar Kevin Durant apologized for disparaging comments he made Sunday from his verified Twitter account against his former Oklahoma City Thunder team. The Golden State Warriors forward called his behavior “childish" and "idiotic."

Durant used his official Twitter account to defend his departure from Oklahoma City after a fan asked about the situation. The former Thunder star claimed he hated playing for then-coach Billy Donovan and disparaged the team’s winning ability without All-Star guard Russell Westbrook. The 29-year-old NBA champion apologized for the incident Tuesday during a TechCrunch panel in San Francisco.

"I use Twitter to engage with fans," Durant said from the stage during the technology news conference. "I think it's a great way to engage with basketball fans. I happened to take it a little too far. That's what happens sometimes when I get into these basketball debates about what I really love, to play basketball. I don't regret clapping back at anybody or talking to my fans on Twitter. I do regret using my former coach's name and the former organization I played for. That was childish. That was idiotic, all those type of words. I apologize for that."

Durant’s tweets stemmed from his decision to flee the Thunder and sign with Steph Curry and the Warriors in July 2016. The NBA Finals MVP tweeted in the third-person and claimed the team’s roster "wasn't that good, it was just him and Russ." After nine seasons with the Thunder, Durant joined a Warriors team that had won a record-breaking 73 games.

It was later revealed that Durant used a personal Instagram account to respond to users. He also revealed Tuesday that he had another Instagram account used for communication between friends and family. Even after the incident, Durant said he would continue to engage fans online.

"I have another Instagram account, but that's just for my friends and family. So I wouldn't say I was using it to clap back at anyone," Durant added. "I don't think I'll stop engaging with fans," I really enjoy it, and it's a good way to connect us all, but I'll scale back a little bit right now and just focus on playing basketball. I'll move on from that, it was tough to deal with yesterday."

Since Durant left the Thunder last season for an already stacked Warriors team, he defended himself against fans insulted by his move. After he released a signature sneaker with Nike last month, the Warriors star took to YouTube Wednesday and acknowledged his "haters."

"Appreciate the love on the new Kd’s," he wrote on the video-sharing site regarding his new sneakers. "Fun fact, since I broke my foot, I wear orthotics instead of regular insoles so I won't be 'stepping on my haters' this year hahaha. Just a gift from us to you to let you know that your voices have been heard. Enjoy your day."

A fan suggested that the NBA star shouldn’t be concerned with what people thought about him. Durant responded by defending himself.

"Of my stature, I play basketball, I got acne, I grew up with nothing, in still figuring myself out in my late 20, I slide in DMs, I make fun of my friends, I drink beers and play Xbox. I’m closer to you than u think," he said.