Kevin Durant addresses pregame hecklers, ensures Mavs fans not removed
Feb 22, 2024, 11:50 PM | Updated: Feb 23, 2024, 5:19 pm
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on February 22, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
A couple of Dallas Mavericks fans shared vulgarities with Kevin Durant as the Phoenix Suns took the floor at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday prior to a 123-113 loss.
The video (explicit language warning) shows Durant jogging onto the court to take warmups when he abruptly changes his path to confront two Mavericks fans who shouted obscenities at the team.
A second video shows another encounter with the same fans after more security personnel congregated in the vicinity.
Durant spoke with azcentral’s Duane Rankin following the game to discuss the matter.
“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. See, we’re animals, we’re circus acts, we’re entertainers to them instead of real people,” Durant said.
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The confrontation seemed to culminate when Durant walked away telling the woman he was arguing with, “You’re a grown up.”
Durant also said after the game he returned to speak with security to ensure the fans were not kicked out.
Durant ended the game with 23 points on 9-for-22 shooting in 40 minutes.
American Airlines Center has seen more than its fair share of incidents between fans and players in the last couple of seasons.
Luka Doncic had a Suns fan ejected after saying he needed to use the treadmill during a game earlier this year.
A Dallas fan was removed from the stadium when they reportedly placed hands on a family member of Chris Paul during Game 4 of the Suns-Mavericks Western Conference semifinals in 2022.
