OAKLAND, CA – MAY 8: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
A fan in Canada showed real class after the fans in Scotiabank Arena had an unfiltered response to Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury.
Canadians have always been known to be a polite group of people, and so it was a bit jarring when many Toronto Raptors fans cheered after Kevin Durant injured his Achilles during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
There are still classy people in Canada though.
An anonymous fan sent Durant flowers on Tuesday morning to the Golden State Warriors office, apologized for the fan response, and prayed for his recovery.
“Dear KD and the Warriors: I can’t even believe those dumba** Raptors fans cheered when they saw you were injured,” the fan wrote according to NBC Sports. “I was watching the game and felt horrible. It was a total disgrace. I hereby apologize on behalf of Canada. Prayers for recovery.”
Durant will probably miss at least 10 months with this injury, and it’s a shame that this happened in the way it did. DeMarcus Cousins called Raptors fans response to it “trash” after the game, and Charles Barkley blamed the Warriors for rushing their superstar back before he was ready.
Drake was another Canadian who had an empathetic response to the injury, and he seemed legitimately upset that Durant won’t play again in the series as you can see below.
Game 6 of the NBA Finals is tomorrow night, and it’s unclear whether or not it will be safe for Durant to watch the game from the bench. But no one ever wants to see an injury, especially on the world’s biggest stage, and the Warriors will have an uphill battle against these athletic and lengthy Raptors. Hopefully, Durant is encouraged by the kind gesture that came out of Canada, and that he recovers fully from this injury. He is a world class player. He’ll be missed without a doubt.
The last game Golden State plays in Oakland should be a barnburner for sure, though, and it will be must-watch TV.