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NEW YORK – Kevin Durant, in his first public comments since his hamstring injury in February, spoke on Thursday of a feud between himself and actor and comedian Michael Rapaport that was made public this week.
Rapaport posted private messages he said Durant sent to him – which included threatening language and misogynistic slurs.
Coach Steve Nash said the organization had a conversation with Durant about the language used in the exchange.
On Thursday, Durant said he was sorry fans and audiences alike had seen the back-and-forth full of profanity.
“I’m sorry people saw this language that I used,” Durant said. “It’s not really what I want people to see and hear from me, but I hope I can get past it and get back to the floor.”
Durant also told reporters about his re-education and his absence from court. Durant said he felt “fine” now and that his return to court was imminent.
“I’m progressing pretty well,” he said. “I can’t wait to be with my teammates soon.”
Nash said he “doubts” Durant will play Sunday against the Chicago Bulls or Monday against the New York Knicks.
Durant said he was making progress in his rehab, but still had some hurdles to overcome before he could return to the field. Durant, who has been out since February 13, said he was “excited” to return to the Nets’ roster, which has won several key players since his absence. Nash said Durant still had to work with “high intensity loads” before it was deemed safe for him to return.
Durant said he felt he had been out of court for “too long”.
“At first I didn’t think it was that bad, just a regular strain,” Durant said. “Then we had a second scan and they saw it was a little deeper than that. It was one of those things where I don’t feel a lot of pain, but you don’t want to force one of those injuries and go out there and make it worse. “
He continued, “In my mind, it was also like, ‘Dude, you have to be smart and careful with this type of injury.’ So try to be patient with it and make rehab as hard as possible. “
Durant said when he got injured he felt like he, James Harden and Kyrie Irving had just started to figure out how to mesh. The trio have only played seven games in total. Since then, Brooklyn has added veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin to the roster.
“I can’t wait to play alongside them,” Durant said of Griffin and Aldridge – who debuted in Brooklyn on Thursday. “The league guys who have been through a lot in this league and are looking forward to another chance to chase something special here with us.”
Durant has missed the last 21 games for the Nets. He’s averaging 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season.
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