Kevin Durant visibly disgusted by Dallas fan’s justification for x-rated abuse
Kevin Durant confronted two Dallas fans who hurled abuse at him on Thursday evening.
The incident took place as Durant took to the floor at American Airlines Center prior to Phoenix's 123-113 loss to the Mavs.
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Viral footage shows KD heading to the court to start his pre-game warmup before abruptly turning around in the direction of the spectators.
One of the fans can be heard calling the two-time MVP a 'b****' before Durant stops, replies 'What?', and walks over to the pair.
The male and female, who were drinking beers, initially seemed friendly to Durant as he confronted them, with the woman even trying to shake hands with him.
However, Durant refused and she appeared irritated that he turned down her invitation.
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The three spoke at length with various stadium staff members around, although it's unclear exactly what was said.
The man tried to apologise before mentioning a dead relative and giving a bizarre justification for the insult.
"I host a podcast about sports," the male fan said.
Durant had evidently heard enough by that point and, upon hearing the excuse, swiftly turned around while the fan was still talking to rejoin his teammates.
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According to reports, security wanted to eject the pair from the arena but Durant spoke with security to ensure they weren't.
KD spoke with following the game to discuss the incident.
“It’s like, they don’t look at us as humans sometimes. So when you get a chance to let a person know how you feel real quick, then they’ll backtrack," he said.
"See, we’re animals, we’re circus acts, we’re entertainers to them instead of real people."
Fans responded to the video on social media and remarked on how quickly the fans changed their tune once KD confronted them.
"Look at how they’re tryna switch once Kd approaches them," said one fan.
"Generational Switch Up," added another.
"He heard that they have a podcast and knew they were just chasing clout," replied a third.
"People will say just about anything these days to these athletes," fourth weighed in with.
All in all it was a night to forget for Durant.
The two-time Finals MVP finished the game with 23 points on 9-for-22 shooting as the Mavs came away with a 123-113 win.
Luka Doncic - who was also recently heckled by a fan - and Kyrie Irving continued their fine recent form, scoring 41 points and 29 points respectively.
Dallas are now on a seven-game winning streak and find themselves sixth in the Western Conference with a 33-23 record.
The Suns, meanwhile, are a place below them with the same record as the race towards the playoffs intensifies.
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