Will American sports talk shows ever give Toronto the respect it deserves?
On Monday, Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard made some troubling remarks about the city of Toronto and Canada when discussing the possibility of NBA superstar Kevin Durant being traded to the Raptors on First Things First.
“A great city, but it’s not America. And you feel it when you’re there, I tell you. Especially as an African American. It’s a different situation than African Americans are used to being in,” Broussard said.
Canadian basketball fans, as well as members of the NBA media, took to Twitter to express their confusion and disappointment at Broussard’s comments.
Some chose to channel their bewilderment through humor, making jokes and sharing memes about Broussard’s odd choice of words.
Durant had the sports world anxiously awaiting news about his future after he made a trade request to the Brooklyn Nets, dropping a bombshell when the NBA’s free agency window opened last week.
While the two-time champion reportedly prefers to be traded to either the Phoenix Suns or the Miami Heat, the Raptors have emerged as a serious contender to acquire Durant’s services. Over the weekend, Toronto’s odds to land KD went from +3,000 on Friday to the second-best odds of +250 on Sunday, according to DraftKings.
Broussard’s comments may be troubling, but it appears Durant already has a favorable impression of Toronto, praising the city, the team and its players numerous times in the past.
Fans online were engaged in a debate over whether or not to trade the 2014 MVP and which players should be included in a potential trade.
Toronto is no stranger to swiping on a big star in the trade market, acquiring the disgruntled Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for DeMar DeRozan in 2018. The move paved the way for the Raptors’ first championship in 2019 before Leonard left in free agency in the next offseason.
Kevin Durant shocked the NBA when he asked for a trade from Brooklyn last week. Could it land in Toronto? (Getty Images)
It’s hard to count out Masai Ujiri and Co. in the Durant sweepstakes, especially if it means another shot at the title. Still, the number of assets we would have to give up in this deal would likely dwarf anything we’ve ever seen in the NBA.
The story continues
But while we wait for the historic trade to go down, we’ll offer Durant and his team some advice.
Please don’t listen to Chris Broussard.
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