NBA fans are some of the most passionate in the world. During the last year, we have seen how crucial fans are to the lifeblood of the sport.
In the absence of fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw basketball take place in silence. And it definitely had an impact on the players and the sport itself.
As fans were allowed back into the NBA, we got to witness roaring and passionate crowds back in buildings.
And they made the experience of watching the games so much better. Fans showed their appreciation for the players and the sport they loved so much.
Even before the pandemic, crowds had shown their love for the NBA and their respective franchises on a regular basis.
Fans are loyal to a tee and will do anything to support their team. One fan even got injured by his own team’s player but used that to motivate him and the rest of the team to get the win.
In 2018, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Boston Celtics in a regular-season game at the Oracle Arena.
Before the game, players were warming up by taking shots. Surprisingly, Durant took a ball and smacked it into the air, and it landed in the stands.
When the ball landed, it hit an elderly fan who was sitting in the crowd. Durant went and apologized to the fan and even invited him to the locker room.
The fan told Durant that he needed to help the Warriors win the game to make it up to him.
“Kevin is shooting. Then all of a sudden, I see him hit the ball up in the air. And I’m like ‘uh oh, that’s going into the stands. And it landed on somebody, you see people surround the guy. I saw an old man in a veteran’s hat on, I’m like this ain’t good. It hit his glasses, it cut the man. Kevin ran to the stands, profusely apologized, left. His security came by, apologized, and invited the man to come back to the locker room. And when the guy talked to Kevin, he said ‘look, you better win the game tonight after doing that’.”
And that is exactly what KD did. He put up 20 points and 9 rebounds as the Warriors beat the Celtics 109-105.
After the game, Durant gave the fan the shoes he wore during the game, signing them for him too.
The elderly fan’s commitment to the Warriors, even sitting in his seat despite his injury, is a perfect example of why the NBA has some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the world.
