Not backing down. Days after former NBA star Andrew Bogut was heavily criticized for his misogynistic remarks about Kendall Jenner, he has doubled down on his controversial comments in multiple messages.
The Australia native — who played for the L.A. Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and more teams during his professional career — initially shaded the 818 Tequila founder in a Friday, June 24, tweet that social media has deemed deeply sexist.
“With the 2022 @NBA draft completion yesterday, one big name has yet to find a home. Which team will snap up @KendallJenner?? Solid talent, versatile. ?? marks around team culture + habit of endless self promotion,” he wrote via Twitter, seemingly taking aim at the notion that Jenner has dated many NBA stars. “Doctors will need to do medical as body has been banged up.” (For her part, the California native — whose dating history includes Harry Styles and Nick Jonas, in addition to athletes — has repeatedly slammed the idea that she only goes out with basketball players.)
Five days later, the former Dallas Mavericks player issued a sarcastic “apology” for his words.
“I would like to formally apologize for this tweet,” he tweeted on Tuesday, June 28. “My scout take forgot to include the elite level of rebounding. I will do better in the future.”
While the majority of the reactions — to both of his tweets — slammed Bogut’s remarks, others came to his defense. When one user said they “had a laugh” at the retired athlete’s commentary about Jenner, Bogut responded, “How dare you laugh at a joke!!! #sexist.”
While this incident thrust the basketball player back into the spotlight, he spent his decades-long career in brightly-lit NBA courts, making headlines for both his talent (he was the No. 1 draft pick in 2005) and the gruesome injuries he suffered, which ultimately caused him to retire from the league.
After his retirement — and amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — Bogut told ESPN in December 2020 that he was spending more time with his family: wife Jessica O’Sullivan and kids Luka and Nikola.
But “once the world opens up, I’ll try to play in a fair few games and tournaments and whatnot,” he revealed. “I’d like to play in the Aussie Millions, and a few other tournaments around the world, so there’s that.”
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about Bogut: