Sitting courtside at a basketball games comes with expected danger. Aggressive players can be leaping into the stands. Basketballs might fly past the seats. Good seats can come with a price greater than the cost of the ticket. One woman learned that the hard way during the Oklahoma City game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, but star player Kevin Durant made up for it.
Kevin Durant attempted a cross-court pass to Thabo Sefolosha that zipped out of bounds in the third quarter, which proceeded to hit a fan in the face, literally right on the forehead. However, it was Durant's actions after the hit that have made him beloved in the hearts of many. Durant then went over and gave the woman a kiss on the forehead in an attempt to comfort her after the painful hit. Queue the proceeding "aawww." The woman was uninjured, looking more star-struck after the kiss than anything. Event staff did come over to make sure she was ok.
Durant's approval rating with fans rocketed after the kind gesture. Despite having six turnovers on the night, at least one of them turned into a touching moment. The Thunder were on the good side of a 97-69 blowout against the Suns. Thunder fans can appreciate this moment more knowing that the team did win the game in the end.
Durant is averaging 28.9 points per game this season, including a career-high 7.5 rebounds. He is shooting close to 90 percent from the foul line and 40 percent from 3-point range. It is those kinds of stats that win the game, but the gesture that Durant showed is what wins over the fans. Take note fellow NBA players.
