Actor and podcaster Michael Rapaport has revealed a private war of words with Kevin Durant in which the Brooklyn Nets star appears to have used a string of homophobic slurs while threatening to spit on the diehard 51-year-old New York sports fan.
‘I heard it all before u c***,’ read one of the Instagram direct messages from Durant’s account to Rapaport, which appears to have been sent in December. ‘I swear ima spit in your face when I see your dirty ass.
‘Meet me on w 17th tomorrow at 10. Or better yet. What’s your address?’
‘All u do is c*** suck other men for attention… Your life is a joke u F***in pale c*** sucker.’
‘Your wife doesn’t even respect your b**** a**.’
Durant apologized after Rapaport revealed the rant in a series of screen grabs on Twitter, although in another post, the former NBA MVP appeared to dismiss the exchange as friendly banter: ‘Me and mike talk CRAZIER than this on the regular and today he’s pissed….My bad mike, damn!!’
Rapaport did not accept the apology, writing on Twitter that Durant crossed a line by mentioning his wife: ‘Don’t ever threaten me or speak on my wife P****.’
The revelation was made a day after a federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit Rapaport filed against Barstool Sports and its founder Dave Portnoy over a t-shirt depicting the actor with a case of herpes.
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Kevin Durant apparently engaged in a vulgar, homophobic rant on Instagram after being criticized by actor and sports podcaster Michael Rapaport in December
Judging by the screen shots, the exchange appears to have begun in December after Durant had an awkward post-game interview with TNT’s analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley
Actor and podcaster Michael Rapaport has revealed a private war of words with Kevin Durant over social media in which the Brooklyn Nets star appears to have used a string of homophobic slurs while threatening to spit on the diehard 51-year-old New York sports fan
Durant went on to threaten Rapaport with homophobic slurs and calls to fight outside of a steakhouse in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea. He also referenced a lawsuit that Rapaport filed against Barstool Sports and its founder, Dave Portnoy (right)
Durant has apologized for the vulgar rant that Rapaport revealed in a series of screen grabs
Rapaport did not accept Durant’s apology, saying he crossed a line by mentioning his wife
Durant did some backtracking on Tuesday afternoon, insisting he did not have any violent intentions with Rapaport.
‘I WOULD NEVER FIGHT MIKE,’ Durant replied on Instagram, adding ‘my bad I apologize.’
Durant then went on to write: ‘Wow u acting brand new now?? We been talking like this for years and u get serious today. Wowww. Smhhh.’
The 32-year-old forward and two-time NBA champion could be subject to discipline by the NBA. Other players, such as Rajon Rondo and the late Kobe Bryant, have been fined for using homophobic slurs on the court. However, Durant’s exchange was a private conversation.
An NBA spokesman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The conversation was revealed by Rapaport in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon.
‘I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think (Kevin Durant) would be among them,’ Rapaport tweeted while posting grabs of his exchange with Durant. ‘The [snake emoji] himself is now threatening me, bringing up my wife and wants to fight. This is supposed to be America’s sweetheart right?’
While he did apologize, Durant also seemed to dismiss the exchange as just friendly banter
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Rapaport weren’t always enemies. They previously made a light-hearted video in which Rapaport begged Durant for tickets to an NBA game
Judging by the screen shots, the exchange appears to have begun in December after Durant had an awkward post-game interview with TNT’s analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley.
‘KD seemed deeply in his feelings with the (TNT) crew after the game,’ Rapaport tweeted at the time. ‘DAMNIT he’s super sensitive about everything. Don’t do the interview.’
In a private direct message, Durant, or someone using his account, responded with a grab of Rapaport’s tweet and a few choice words for the actor, like ‘b****,’ ‘p****,’ and ‘piece of s***.’
Durant went on to threaten Rapaport with homophobic slurs and calls to fight outside of a steakhouse in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea.
Rapaport then told Durant to go ‘help kids in Brownsville, Brooklyn & stop being a f***ing Puzz.’
Durant also poked fun at Rapaport’s defamation lawsuit against Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, which has recently been dismissed. Rapaport had sued over a t-shirt that Portnoy sold, picturing the actor with a clown nose and an apparent case of herpes. The judge tossed the suit Monday, saying that a ‘reasonable audience’ would not assume the red blemish adorning Rapaport’s mouth on the t-shirt could be interpreted to mean that the actor does, in fact, have herpes
Durant also poked fun at Rapaport’s defamation lawsuit against Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, which was actually dismissed earlier this week.
Rapaport had sued over a t-shirt that Portnoy sold, picturing the actor with a clown nose and an apparent case of herpes. The judge tossed the suit Monday, saying that a ‘reasonable audience’ would not assume the red blemish adorning Rapaport’s mouth on the t-shirt could be interpreted to mean that the actor does, in fact, have herpes.
‘U called your lawyer like the p**** you are,’ Durant wrote. ‘U couldn’t stop portnoy talking s***?
‘P**** wanna lawyer up.
‘Your wife mad as f*** cuz u wasting that little bit of money on a lawyers cuz u can’t take a joke.’
‘How p**** are u. Your wife doesn’t even respect your b**** a**.’
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Rapaport weren’t always enemies. They previously made a light-hearted video in which Rapaport begged Durant for tickets to an NBA game
Portnoy (left) took a victory lap on social media after Rapaport’s lawsuit was dismissed
Durant and Rapaport did not always have a contentious relationship.
The two even made a light-hearted video in which Rapaport alternately begs for tickets and complains about the seats that were provided to him by Durant.
And while Durant is accusing Rapaport of being overly sensitive, he has also faced that same accusation over the years.
Durant has even been caught using a fake ‘burner’ Twitter account to attack his online critics.
Durant has been out with a hamstring injury since February, but the talent-laden Nets are currently tied for first in the Eastern Conference standings with the 76ers
After signing with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent in 2017, he snapped at a fan who questioned his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant responded in the third person because he appeared to think he was signed into a burner account: ‘[Durant] didn’t like the organization or playing for [then-Thunder coach] Billy Donovan. His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and [Russell Westbrook]’
Obviously fans noticed that Durant was writing about himself in the third person, and quickly seized on the possibility that he had a burner account.
At a TechCrunch Disrupt event following the incident, Durant defended himself by saying he gets too passionate when discussing basketball.
‘I use Twitter to engage with fans,’ Durant said. ‘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.
Durant has been out with a hamstring injury since mid-February, but the talent-laden Nets are currently tied for first in the Eastern Conference standings with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Listed at 6-foot-10, and widely believed to be taller, Durant has been one of the game’s premiere players since being selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the second-overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft. The former Texas Longhorns star now has two NBA Finals MVP honors to go with a pair of NBA titles, the 2014 NBA MVP award, and the 2008 Rookie of the Year trophy.
In 2019, Durant inked a four-year, $164 million sign-and-trade deal with Golden State that sent him to Brooklyn, where he’s now paired with other All-Stars such as Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
Actor Michael Rapaport (right) interacts with many New York-area sports star such as Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (left) as a part of his own sports podcast
