Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick tweeted out a statement on Sunday in response to a video that was circulating where he appeared to use an anti-Chinese racial epithet.
“Just saw a video that is being circulated of me wishing a happy new year to NBA fans in China,” Redick wrote. “Clearly I was tongue tied, as the word I purportedly said is not in my vocabulary.
“I’m disappointed that anyone would think I would use that word. I love and respect our friends in China.”
https://twitter.com/JJRedick/status/965277620823822336
The statement appears to be in response to a video that Youtuber “Up Sum” posted, highlighting a video of NBA players wishing Chinese fans a Happy Chinese New Year.
In the clip, Redick appears to use the racial slur in question. Since Up Sum’s video was posted, that original video by the Chinese media giant appears to have been replaced with an edited version – sans the Redick part.
While Redick doesn’t admit to intentionally using the slur, he does acknowledge that there may have been a slip of the tongue.
It’s unclear whether Redick is being sincere or not, but one thing’s for sure — as a quick search of “Redick” will tell you on Twitter — there are an awful lot of people who aren’t buying it.
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