At the end of the day, award show beef belongs at award shows. Celebrities are going to go on-stage and rib each other and have their fun, and then they're going to go home and keep being famous together.
Unless, of course, the celebrity being ribbed is Kevin Durant.
Durant, of course, was the victim of a joke by Peyton Manning at the 2017 ESPYs, in which Manning joked that Durant wanted to join the USA gymnastics team due to their dominance. This was on the heels of Durant joining the Warriors at the height of their dynasty, sparking all kinds of jokes and memes about Durant.
Durant was not amused.
When Peyton Manning roasted Kevin Durant at the ESPY’S 😭😭😭😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/AcgsSecQI7
— Shannon sharpes burner (@shannonsharpeee) July 20, 2022
This leads us into another staple of award shows: The fake mean mug. This is also an NBA player special, so it stands to reason Durant could have easily been in on the joke and playing it up for the cameras.
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Some evidence in 2022 has come to light, however, that suggests this isn't the case. Durant replied to a tweet asking why he was so salty with a simple explanation: "If it was funny I would've laughed... It's a simple concept."
If it was funny I would’ve laughed…it’s a simple concept
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 20, 2022
Durant also replied to another fan saying it was funny with: "I really don’t believe it’s that deep, it wasn’t funny so I didn’t laugh, im glad u enjoyed the laugh tho, it’s therapeutic for the soul."
Durant, to be clear, still could have been in on the joke. But it doesn't mean he liked it. We'll see what happens is Stephen Curry decides to crack any jokes about Durant at Wednesday's show. It may hit Durant harder coming from an ex-teammate.
