Two Mavericks fans may owe Suns superstar Kevin Durant a big thanks for keeping them from getting kicked out of American Airlines Center on Thursday night.
The two fans — a man and a woman — sat near where Phoenix players were coming out of the locker room when one of the spectators yelled out “bitch” toward Durant as he was taking the floor, according to WFAA’s Jonah Javad, who was standing courtside and was shooting video.
Durant clearly heard the comment and quickly turned around to confront the two fans, who were seated three rows back from the floor.
While the music playing over the PA system made it hard to hear what the two-time NBA Finals MVP was saying in the video, the conversation was a lengthy one, and the female fan attempted to reach out for what seemed to be a high-five for a handshake from Durant several times.
Both fans wore Mavericks attire, and Durant eventually waved his hand in frustration and walked away.
But the situation took another twist when security was about to toss the two fans from the building, and Durant walked back over to tell them not to, Javad reported.
Players have not been shy about confronting fans or having them tossed from games when they feel their comments cross a certain line in recent years.
And Thursday’s incident wasn’t even the first time this season that a fan has created a potential issue during a game between the Mavericks and Suns.
Just last month, Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic had a fan removed from Footprint Center after the fan shouted at Doncic that he “looked tired” and needed to “get on a treadmill.”
After the January game, Durant was asked about the fan ejection at the Suns arena.
“If somebody talk some s–t to me, I’ll talk it back and we’ll move on,” Durant told the Arizona Republic following the Doncic incident. “That’s usually how it should go. Once it gets overboard, little disrespectful to the point you got to stop the game, that’s different. A little quick word here and there is never bad.”
Durant appeared to be a man of his word on Thursday when he found himself in a similar spot.
The Suns lost Thursday’s game to the Mavericks, 123-113, and Durant finished the night with 23 points on 9 of 23 shooting.
The NBA superstar is in his first full season with the Suns after he was traded by the Nets last year as they closed their “Big 3” era.
In an interview that aired on ESPN earlier in the night, Durant was asked if he wanted to finish his career in Phoenix.
“Right now, in this moment today without thinking about the next moment, yeah,” Durant responded. “But that’s just saying right now and I can’t really predict what may happen, but I love playing in Phoenix. I love the fan base, the city. I’ve grown to understand what our mission is being in the Valley and how deeply these people care about their team.
“I started to understand the history of the Suns and I’m glad to be a part of it. I want to go up in that Ring of Honor one day.”
The Suns are the fourth organization that Durant has played for during his NBA career.