The man, Luke Browner, spoke about the viral incident on 97.1 The Freaks' Ben and Skin Show.
DALLAS — We've all seen that video. Suns superstar Kevin Durant confronts two Dallas Mavericks fans, calling them “tyrants” as he rushes onto the court before tipoff Thursday night at American Airlines Center.
A video of the incident shot by WFAA's Jonah Javad went viral overnight, garnering millions of views.
Then the internet did the same thing and made a meme out of the two almost instantly. Is that part of the joke? It was revealed that the male half of the friend in question had mentioned in an on-camera explanation of his actions that he was hosting a sports podcast, and Durant was immediately interested in taking the conversation forward. did not show.
Now, thanks to 97.1-FM KEGL The Freak's “The Ben and Skin Show,” we now know more about the man in the video. His name is Luke Browner, and he spoke on a Dallas radio show Friday afternoon. During the appearance, he revealed his side of the interaction and gave insight into why he and his friend were at the game and, more interestingly, why the idea of hosting a sports podcast came up during the interaction. tried to provide. in the first place.
“I don't want to justify what was said,” Browner told the radio host. “But I would like to provide some context.”
the a lot Fasten the buckle to unpack.
Browner told Ben and Skin that the reason he and the woman entered the match in the first place was as a tribute to her brother (and his best friend), a man named Nathan. According to Browner, Nathan passed away several years ago at 2:22 p.m., and a memorial service for Nathan was held on February 2 of that year (pronounced 2/22).
Nathan was a huge sports fan, so when the Mavs' schedule was reduced earlier this year, Browner said he and his friend attended Thursday's Suns game, especially since the game was moved to Feb. 22 (again, Feb. 22). He said he had decided to go.
Those who were paid agreed to go “for Nathan,” Browner said.
Now onto the viral moment. Browner admitted that it was her late friend's sister who launched the abuse against Durant, and told Ben and Skin that the Suns superstar was completely justified in reacting that way. He added that he felt Durant was handling herself with dignity.
This is clearly where sports podcasts come into play. Nathan was a regular guest on Browner's sports podcast. “Go, Sports!'' has not published an episode since October 2018. What he couldn't share with Durant, but could share with Ben and Skin, was that Nathan seemed to frequently make similar abusive comments about Durant whenever Durant's name came up. is. I appeared on the program.
Browner said the moment was unplanned, but perhaps Did Nathan's sister explain why she yelled what she yelled?
When Durant confronted Browner and his friend about their screams, Browner said Durant asked why they said those things.
“I said, 'Are you sure you want to know?'” Browner said. “Then he said, 'Okay, tell me why you said that.'”
At the time, Browner said he tried to share the whole story and all the details, podcasts and all, but Durant quickly decided he wasn't really interested in that.
In the end, Browner and his friend were not ejected from the arena — Durant actively thwarted the security guards' actions, and Browner said he was very grateful to Ben and Skin.
Still: Did he learn his lesson from that moment? Apparently he did!
“It was just a joke to us, but we forget the humanity of the person on the other end of the joke,” Browner said. “I'm used to seeing this person on the highlight reel. I'm used to seeing this person's face and I can yell at the TV all day long, but it takes the humanity out of that person. And in a way, you forget. Words are still really important.”
Browner reached out to Durant's publicist Friday morning to say there was “no malicious intent,” that he was grateful he wasn't kicked from the game, and that he was trying to get the full picture again. added. Of the story there.
That said, Browner added that it wasn't necessarily a moment he deeply regretted.
“Ironically, I think that moment was in honor of my friend,” Browner said. “After you die, no matter where people go, no matter where he is in the universe, he had a good laugh and loved it. We had a great night. That's our night. I didn't mess it up at all. But it was wild.'' I never imagined so many people would hear it. ”
In the actual game of the night, Dallas defeated Phoenix 123-113. Durant had 23 points, six rebounds and one assist.
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