Kevin Durant's Apology Accepted by NBRA After Ripping Ref for Ejection

The National Basketball Referees Association accepted an apology from Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant after he publicly criticized official James Williams following the Dubs' 123-112 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.  

"Apology accepted," the NBRA wrote on Twitter. "This is the kind of common ground we hope to achieve when the NBRA meets with [the National Basketball Players Association] next month."

Durant said Wednesday he was sorry for acting like a "jerk" toward Williams during the contest, which saw him get ejected in the fourth quarter.

"I wish I had handled that better, obviously, but it was kind of a heat-of-the-moment [thing] for me," he told reporters. "I could be better. It was a great learning experience for me though."

The 29-year-old reigning NBA Finals MVP added he realized his error after getting a chance to review Williams' calls from Tuesday.

"I wasn't getting picked on last night. I was being a diva last night," Durant said. "I've got to just own up to it. I watched it when I got home. I was wondering why he was coming at me so hard but then I watched the plays I was like, 'Yeah, I looked like a jerk out there.' It was bad. Luckily we won and we can move past it and I kind of owned up to it. I'll be better next time."

The Warriors small forward could still receive punishment from the NBA for his original comments about Williams' targeting him in the second half following a disagreement before halftime.

"Look at my first tech," he said after the game. "I got the rebound and I dribbled the ball hard, and he teched me up. He was searching for me. He was looking to try to tech me up to get me back because he's still in his feelings from the first half. That's what's been going on around the league the whole year. A bunch of that. I got to keep my head a little bit, but I was upset. I'm a human being too. I get upset."

Golden State teammate Stephen Curry received a $50,000 fine for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of a referee during an October game against the Memphis Grizzlies.