Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant is tired of the recent spree of disrespectful acts made by some fans towards visiting NBA teams and players. His teammate Kyrie Irving is the latest victim of such a disgusting gesture, and he won't let it slide.
After leading the Nets to a 141-126 win over the Boston Celtics, Durant addressed the recent issue on fan behavior in arenas, which was further highlighted when a Celtics fan threw a water bottle at Irving when he was heading to the locker room.
Durant did not hold back in his criticism, emphasizing that they are not a circus act and should not be treated like animals.
“Fans got to grow up at some point. I know that being in the house for a year and a half with the pandemic got a lot of people on edge, got a lot of people stressed out, but when you come to these games, you have to realize these men are human. We are not animals, we are not in the circus. You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan,” the Nets star preached, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
“Have some respect for the human beings and have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn. So grow the f**k up and enjoy the game, it's bigger than you.”
This should have been common sense and basic etiquette. Unfortunately, athletes like Kevin Durant have been subjected to such acts more often than one can imagine. While they are considered celebrities, it doesn't exempt them from receiving such hateful gestures.
As mentioned, and as Kevin Durant noted as well, what happened to Irving in the Nets-Celtics game is not the first time fans have been disrespectful to players over the last few weeks. More recently, a Philadelphia 76ers fan poured popcorn on Russell Westbrook, while a New York Knicks supporter spat on Trae Young on the court.
Hopefully, the NBA will address the issue and enforce stricter measures to prevent fans from continuing to attack players in a variety of ways.
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