“I think what he said was very controversial but I am all for his right to say that — he has to deal with the consequences,” Bogut said. “Its tough because Im not overly religious but hes basically quoting the Bible. Its a tough one now. Thats his religion so you have to respect his ideas and what he lives by.
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“What I struggle with is that if youre going to criticise him you better make sure your house is in order. What Israel said I dont condone but lets be honest: from that community, most people in the community who were offended dont believe in God anyway, so who gives a shit? Gods fictitious [to them] and someone who is make-believe, so why is it so offensive to anyone? Get on with it. Hes not saying he wants to kill you. Hes saying thats his belief. But hes got to deal with the consequences from it.”
Whatever the case, Bogut is a lightning rod on social media. He has 333,000 followers on Twitter.
The Kings created a #kingbogut hashtag at Tuesday mornings media conference confirming his two-year deal.
By mid-afternoon, the Bogut hashtag was trending on Twitter stronger than Anzac Day.
Not all of the reaction has been positive, though. Has he been trolled since signing with the Kings?
“Of course,” he said. “People saying its a publicity stunt, that Im going to get hurt and not play a game. Thats your opinion. Cool, no problem … You have to learn to live with it. I never insult someone, unless they go at me. Ill look at their profile and have a crack back. Ill stick up for myself.”
