Some Raptors fans cheering and waving goodbye when Kevin Durant went down with what we learned later was a ruptured Achilles has become the narrative. Warriors players were disgusted by the behavior.
That’s not how things felt inside Scotiabank Arena, as our own Dan Feldman noted — play continued and Serge Ibaka had drawn a shooting foul on the other end of the court, which is why many inside the arena were cheering. While the broadcast and cameras focused on Durant instantly, that’s not where the eyes of fans went, plus fans didn’t realize the severity at first. Those fans soon cheered Durant and chanted his name as he left the court.
Still, it was an ugly moment for Raptors fans, where they got painted with a broad brush — and some fans wanted to right that wrong.
So a GoFundMe page was set up for Raptors fans to donate money to Kevin Durant’s Foundation. Here is part of the pitch:
On behalf of the level-headed and true fans of Raptor Nation - from Toronto to Vancouver to Iqaluit to St. John’s, and any fans living outside Canada: we wanted to say “sorry”...
Yes, we’re hungry for a championship however true NBA fans would never cheer on a man getting injured or wave goodbye as they limp to the locker-room area.. KD is a player that brings up the game of basketball. This NBA Playoffs have had a lot of ugly fan moments. From racist tweets being hurled at Nav Bhatia, Raptor superfan to part-owners shoving players ... there have been a lot of heated moments throughout these playoffs.
Both of the examples had crazy fans that did not reflect their team’s fanbase. I’d like to believe that the people cheering/waving goodbye at KD inside Scotiabank and in Jurassic Park also do not reflect our passionate fanbase.
So far the page has raised more than $24,000, with a goal of $40,000
It’s a kind gesture with the money going to a good cause, which just all feels very Canadian. And it speaks more to the people of Toronto and Canada than does one ugly incident.