Rihanna Heckles Kevin Durant During NBA Finals Game: Cue Memes, Reactions
She might not have been playing on the court, but Rihanna definitely had her head in the game at the Warriors/Cavaliers game on Thursday, June 1. The fiery pop star stole the show on night one of the NBA finals, rooting on the Cleveland Cavaliers and throwing plenty of shade toward the Golden State Warriors — particularly small forward Kevin Durant.
Rihanna set the tone for the night when she arrived at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, in an oversized black throw, causing even ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy to take his eyes off the heated basketball battle at hand.
“I don’t know about this, but Rihanna just walked in front of me. Are you kidding me?” he said just as LeBron dunked over JaVale McGee in the first quarter, a comment not lost on sports fans, who called Van Gundy out on Twitter.
“Rihanna just walked in front of me.” Jeff Van Gundy, the realest, out here willing to risk it all. pic.twitter.com/z2jTfiBYrh
— Sean Craig (@sdbcraig) June 2, 2017
But it was Rihanna’s apparent beef with Durant that really caught viewers’ attention. The “Pour It Up” singer, a LeBron superfan, stood up to bow when the star athlete trotted her way across the court, signaling boos from Warriors fans behind her. The songstress didn’t bother to boo back at the annoyed fans, however; in perfect RiRi fashion, she simply acknowledged their boos with a dab and a dismissive wave in their direction.
Amazing.
Rihanna bows to LeBron then hits a dab and small waves a Warriors fan telling her to sit down.
? pic.twitter.com/q0IyIPIbGK— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 2, 2017
Later in the game, Rihanna was heard yelling “Brick” as Durant was about to attempt several free throws, but the NBA star was having none of it, and hit both foul shots, shooting daggers at Rihanna afterward.
Durant didn’t let the taunts go so easily, either. During the fourth quarter, Steph Curry passed the ball to Durant, who hit a glorious three-pointer while positioned just in front of the singer. He turned to give Rihanna the coldest stare-down as he jogged away backwards. He may have even been shaking his head.
Listen: Rihanna yells “BRIIIIIICK!!!” at Durant during free throw, he stares her down twice ? (h/t @tshent) pic.twitter.com/XYdFOv9mc3
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 2, 2017
Fans across the aisle took to Twitter to pay tribute to the savage exchange:
Kevin Durant vs Rihanna is the matchup we were all looking forward to.
— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) June 2, 2017
Rihanna after Kevin Durant hit that three pic.twitter.com/Nt7PIszPRS
— FaZe ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) June 2, 2017
Kevin Durant staring down Rihanna is the most Kevin Durant thing ever
— mike (@_mikearnold_) June 2, 2017
Theory ?
Kevin Durant = Reggie Miller
Rihanna = Spike Lee— King Carñes (@chase_carnes915) June 2, 2017
The look between Kevin Durant and Steph Curry when asked about Rihanna was priceless. pic.twitter.com/kmpaDTNktR
— Paul Cusentino (@paulcusentino) June 2, 2017
After the game, in which the Warriors handily defeated the Cavaliers 113-91, reporters tried to ask Durant about the evident bad blood between himself and the Rihanna. The athlete balked, and Curry reminded him, “Don’t get into that trap,” as Durant looked down and reassured the reporter (and himself) that he wouldn’t.
Rihanna, for her part, seemed to take the team’s loss in stride. As she left the stadium, she was heard proclaiming, “It doesn’t matter, bitch. The king is still the king.”
Rihanna: “it doesn’t matter, bitch”, as she passes Cavs locker room. pic.twitter.com/6DJDBL25Gj
— Tony Zarrella (@TonyZ19) June 2, 2017