During the course of a game, fans and players don’t typically interact. Faans are there to watch and players are there to play. On Monday, however, circumstances called for an exception.
At some point during the game, Warriors guard Gary Payton II accidentally knocked off someone’s drink during the game. Instead of just ignoring the issue and moving along, Payton was nice enough to replace the individual’s beer.
Here’s the clip, which caught a lot of attention online:
Defensive specialist Gary Payton II accidentally knocks off someone's drink and gets them a new one. pic.twitter.com/8cbZ1MKXRf
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) December 14, 2021
He later apologized for the incident on Twitter.
Party Foul! My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused lol 🤟🏾 https://t.co/EgRFZ6wgH2
— GPII (@Garydwayne) December 14, 2021
The situation is nothing serious, but it’s a nice, wholesome little interaction that made many fans smile.
Contrast that to some of the aggression we’ve seen lately, and it’s clear why so many people are celebrating this highlight.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Kyle Kuzma was fined $15,000 after the game for making an “obscene gesture toward a fan.” The moment came in the fourth quarter after Kuz drained a corner three to put his team up 9.
It’s unknown at this time what the fan said to cause that reaction from Kuzma, but it’s safe to say it wasn’t anything positive.
Regarding the Warriors, it has been quite a week for them. Besides Payton II having to reimburse a fan for his drink, the team has been directly under the public eye in light of Steph Curry’s quests to break the all-time 3-point record.
He was unable to surpass Ray Allen on Monday, but it looks like he’s set to crack it in Madison Square Garden pretty soon.
The Warriors, who are 22-5 in the West, are also anticipating the return of Klay Thompson, who could make his season debut in just a few weeks.
With Curry and Klay back at center-fold, Dub Nation is in for another long and successful run. Hopefully, they don’t spill any more beers in the process.
