Coming equipped with mocking cupcake signs and their loud voices, Thunder fans raucously booed and heckled Kevin Durant in his return to Oklahoma City on Saturday. One fan's vulgarity even caused Draymond Green to respond, and with his teammates having his back, Durant scored 34 points and led the Warriors to a 130-114 victory over the Thunder.
Telling reporters he's been called worse, Durant downplayed the crowd's jeers after the game, but the fans' taunts had an effect on his mom, Wanda Pratt.
From USA Today's Sam Amick:
"It's the people who make it so personal, and attack his character so viciously, like they know him - (all) because he decided to play somewhere else. But then, the bold thing is they're standing in my face. They're bold enough to call him a snake and a coward. One guy even called him - I can't even say it - the p-word. In my face."
And yes, Wanda insisted, that guy knew that she was Kevin Durant's mother.
"I can't respond to that, because no matter what I do my actions are a reflection of my son and I have to be mindful of that," she continued. "But for him to say that about my son ..."
As for those "Cupcake" chants, that covert way of calling Durant soft in reference to Russell Westbrook's infamous reaction to his co-star leaving? They left Wanda utterly confused.
"Why would you say that?" she asked before listening to the explanation. "Yeah, that bothers me, just to hear that that's what the cupcake thing is all about. Yeah, that bothers me. Kevin is not soft at all. He's not soft. He made choices that he wanted to make."
Overall this is just a tough situation for Durant's mom. She was a constant fixture at Thunder games, always sitting courtside to cheer on her son. But since Durant left Oklahoma City and is now with Golden State, he and his family are being treated as persona non grata among the majority of Thunder fans.
This might just be the new reality in Oklahoma City when Golden State comes to town. Thunder fans will forever hold a grudge against Durant and treat him poorly whenever he plays in Oklahoma City. Durant's mom knows this but knowing doesn't help. Like any mother, she simply doesn't want to her son be negatively treated.
