Opals forward Alice Kunek has apologised after an Instagram post showing her in blackface makeup for a Melbourne Boomers ‘Silly Sunday’ party went viral, attracting criticism from her teammates and the general public.
Kunek, whose Instagram account is now set to private, quickly deleted the post after it began to draw negative attention, making a follow-up post to apologise and attempt to explain her actions.
“I am so unbelievably sorry to all my followers who were offended my by previous post,” she said. “It was never my intention to offend anyone at all. It was an honest mistake.”
Kunek went on to explain that her spectacularly ill-thought-out costume was meant to represent Kanye, one of her favourite artists, and insisting that there was “no malice” in her actions.
1/4. I’m sorry that people would think my support of Kanye as being racist in some way.
— Alice Kunek (@AliceKunek) February 21, 2016
2/4 People who know me, know that I don’t judge others based on the colour of their skin.
— Alice Kunek (@AliceKunek) February 21, 2016
3/4 One of the things I love most about basketball is that I get to play with and against women from different countries ,
— Alice Kunek (@AliceKunek) February 21, 2016
4/4 religions & upbringings and be united as a team. I never meant to offend any team mates, fans, or people in the community.
— Alice Kunek (@AliceKunek) February 21, 2016
Yesterday, fellow Opals player Liz Cambage said that she was “shocked and disturbed” by Kunek’s photo, adding “people wonder why I have issues with some [Basketball Australia] teammates.”
Source: Fairfax.
Photo: Instagram.
