Adidas, the German sportswear giant, is facing criticism for calling NBA star Kevin Durant ‘dusty’ in a deleted tweet that sparked accusations of racism and revived the company’s Nazi history.
Why Did Adidas Call Kevin Durant Dusty on Twitter?
The incident started on Friday, when Nice Kicks, a sneaker blog, tweeted a photo of Anthony Edwards, a rookie player for the Minnesota Timberwolves, wearing his new signature Adidas shoes. The tweet asked, “Do you think Kevin Durant would ever wear Anthony Edwards’ Adidas sneaker?”
Durant, who plays for the Suns and has a long-standing endorsement deal with Nike, quickly responded to the tweet saying, “Won’t EVER see me put a big toe in them.”
This must have set Adidas off, because they responded to Durant with a tweet saying, “You dusty about to retire anyway.” Then they sent out another tweet saying, “meant to send that from the burner account.” The tweets were soon deleted, but not before they were captured by screenshots and shared widely online.
Many people on social media interpreted Adidas’ tweet as a racist insult, as the term ‘dusty’ is often used to disparage Black people, especially those who are poor or unkempt.
They also pointed out the irony of Adidas, a company with Nazi origins, calling a Black man ‘dusty’, given the history of Nazi atrocities against people of color.
Adidas was founded in 1924 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler and his brother Rudolf, who later split and formed a rival company, Puma. Both brothers joined the Nazi party in 1933, and their company produced shoes and uniforms for the German army and the Hitler Youth during World War II. Adidas has rarely addressed its Nazi past publicly, and has tried to distance itself from it in recent years.
Many people on social media demanded that Adidas apologize to Durant and take action against whoever was responsible for the tweet. Some also called for a boycott of Adidas products.
Adidas has not issued a formal apology or statement on the matter.
Durant has not commented on the tweet either, but he has been vocal about his loyalty to Nike and his disdain for Adidas in the past.
Durant is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players in the world, and has won two NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and one regular season MVP award. He is also one of the most popular and influential athletes, with over 13 million followers on Twitter and over 14 million on Instagram.
His Nike shoes and apparel are among the best-selling in the industry, generating an estimated $300 million in annual revenue.
Adidas, on the other hand, has struggled to compete with Nike in the US market, where it ranks third behind Nike and Jordan Brand. Adidas has tried to boost its profile by signing deals with celebrities like Kanye West, Beyoncé, and Pharrell Williams, as well as athletes like James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Derrick Rose.
However, besides the legendary Kanye West none of them have reached the level of popularity and success that Durant has with Nike.
Whether or not the tweet controversy will do damage Adidas’ reputation and sales among Black consumers, who make up a large and loyal segment of the sneaker market, remains to be seen.
When Adidas social media team sent out that tweet they may have thought it would be chalked up as harmless trolling. However, by calling a black man “dusty” they may have unintentional made it racial.
