On Monday night Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant went down with an injury in the second quarter of his team’s Gave 5 matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
It sucked.
Adding insult to injury, and what sucked even more, was that some Raptors fans in attendance cheered when they saw Durant remain on the hardwood. It was classless, and lame, and there is simply no excuse for it.
Durant had missed a month of action through a calf injury before deciding just before tip-off to suit up and try to dig his team out of a 3-1 series deficit. The obvious fear was that he had re-aggravated his calf injury. It was much worse: an MRI later confirmed Durant had ruptured his Achilles.
A career-threatening injury. Cheered by “the best fans in the league.”
Now, Raptors fans are doing what Canadians do best: apologizing.
“We’re sorry that some fans of Raptor Nation at the Scotiabank arena, Jurassic Park, and in some bars/restaurants showing the game, displayed an ugly side of fandom when they cheered on the injury of Kevin Durant,” wrote Hamzah Moin, of Markham. “This isn’t cool. This isn’t right. This isn’t what I expect from fellow Canadians.”
In saying sorry, Moin launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.
“Join me in sending our well-wishes to KD as he recovers. He’s put his blood, sweat and tears in this beautiful sport. Let’s give back to something he’s passionate about: helping to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs,” writes Moin in the campaign’s description.
The apology has raised an incredible $25,831 as of writing. The goal is to contribute $40,000. Perhaps best of all, the discussion board is flooded with comments in support of the Warriors all-star and 2018 Finals MVP.
A callous act not pardoned, but at least amended to an admirable degree.
