JJ Redick Says Chinese Racial Slur Was an Accident: 'That's Not a Word I Use'

Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick has issued an apology for using a racial slur in a video featuring various NBA players wishing Chinese fans a happy new year.  

Redick said it was a "very unfortunate mishap" and "not a word I use" before explaining what caused him to use the slur, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

In the video posted on YouTube, Redick appears to say that he would like to "wish all the NBA chink fans of China a very happy Chinese New Year":

Redick previously posted a written apology on Twitter for the comment.

"It came out the wrong way," he wrote in the tweet. "At the time we recorded it, no one in the room ... heard the word that I purported to say. Had I known it sounded anything like that, I would have been mortified and recorded the greeting over again."

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin, whose parents emigrated to the United States from Taiwan, noted he spoke with Redick on the phone about the incident and encouraged fans "to not use hateful language towards the NBA and JJ." 

"I spoke with JJ today on the phone for a long time," Lin wrote. "I truly believe he didn't say a racial slur and that he has a great deal of respect towards Chinese people. I also reached out to Adam Silver and David Shoemaker. Everyone knows that this word should never be used in referring to Chinese people and everyone is committed to Chinese fans being treated with the equality and respect that they deserve."

The 76ers and NBA have both declined to comment on the matter, deferring to Redick's comments, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.