New Delhi: NBA superstar Kevin Garnett on Sunday expressed his solidarity with Zinedine Zidane as the French captain's head-butting on Italian defender Marco Materazzi was precipitated by the verbal attack on his family.
"I won't justify Zidane's act but I can understand it. His family was verbally attacked and let me tell you family is everything. Family comes first," Garnett said.
"His reaction under those circumstances can be accepted. His mother was hospitalised and she was verbally assaulted. No one can tolerate that," the nine-time NBA all-star on his maiden trip to India said, adding verbal abuse was part of basketball also.
Zidane, who rammed his head into Materazzi's chest during the World Cup Final against Italy, knocking him to the ground, however, later apologised in a French television interview.
"I apologise to all the children who watched the match," Zidane said adding he did not regret his action as Materazzi deserved it for insulting him with some "very hard words" aimed at sullying his mother and sister.
Garnett, who is in India on a three-day tour to teach the techniques of basketball to children, said he knew cricket ruled over India but felt the country had the ability to produced a genuine basketball star.
"Though I don't know much about cricket, I know about Sachin Tendulkar," he added.
Asked whether he would accept the invitation to coach India, the star who idolises Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, said he had no such plans yet.
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