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Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has been fined by the NBA for cussing out a fan, and former teammate Draymond Green has come to his defense. According to The Athletic's Sham Charania, the Easy Money Sniper will lose $25,000 for "directing obscene language toward a fan."
The NBA has made its stance on swearing at fans and in news conferences clear for a while, making it a point to fine erring players accordingly. Some players chose to report to the referees and get the fans thrown out. Others, in the heat of the moment, responded in a manner that is frowned upon by the league.
Durant was the culprit, not for the first time this season, as he told off a fan who asked that he take over the game against the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Nets had a 14 point-lead at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mavs clawed their way back into the game. Spencer Dinwiddie hit a buzzer-beater from deep to win the game 113-111 on Wednesday.
With news of the fine making the rounds, Green took to Instagram to encourage KD, while also sending a message to the league. He reposted Charania's post in his story with the following caption:
"Keep talking yo s**t K, one day they’ll stop empowering fans to talk to us as if we are their children."
Players hate losing money. But they also do not appreciate fans who barely understand the rigors of the game, making requests or trying to distract them during games. A few tend to lose their cool.
Kevin Durant has never been afraid to clap back at trolls
Kevin Durant was once accused of creating burner accounts on social media platforms just so he could comfortably defend himself against online trolls. As a superstar, it is not always easy to keep mum while fans continually attack and discredit one's hard work.
Earlier in the season, Durant was trolled for having ashy ankles, which were spotted by Isaiah Thomas. However, Durant engaged fans, playing the "I'm rich" card before saying he is not a role model after a fan pointed out his language. There have been several on-court jawings, with few resulting in fines.
Despite all the off-court drama, the two-time NBA champ knows how to get the job done on the hardwood. He is undoubtedly one of the best scorers in league history.
Before he was sidelined with a knee injury, he was the leading MVP candidate and the league's top scorer. As things stand, the four-time scoring champ is averaging 29.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 51.9%.
