It goes without saying that if a white NBA player — like, say, Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg — called a black NBA fan “boy,” it would be an overnight scandal.
Network shows like FS1’s “First Things First” and ESPN’s “First Take” would immediately pounce on the story, dedicating multiple segments to the racially charged incident.
You could already hear ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith foaming at the mouth, as he often does with any perceived racial grievance, and speaking in all caps about Flagg.
(To be clear, Flagg has been a model citizen his rookie season.)
But if a black NBA superstar says something equally charged to a white fan? Crickets — almost quite literally.
On Saturday, the Houston Rockets clipped the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, 112-106.
It was a heated contest between two Western Conference teams vying for a title, so emotions were understandably high. Adding fuel to this emotional fire, Rockets star Kevin Durant had an acrimonious divorce with the Thunder in 2016, with tensions still simmering a decade later.
That’s the background for what happened Saturday evening, in the third quarter of the Rockets-Thunder tilt.
During a stoppage in play in the third quarter, Durant briefly stepped off the court. During this momentary break, he chose to threaten a heckling OKC fan — with some racial animus, to boot.
You can watch the ugly incident for yourself below:
KD to an OKC fan 💀
“I know where you live white boy” pic.twitter.com/aRrZBv0rJr
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) February 8, 2026
“I know where you live, white boy,” Durant fired back at the fan.
Look, to be clear, this isn’t to start some witch hunt against Durant. But it is to call attention to the racial double standard present in sports, as well as society at large.
Racism is racism, folks. It can be aimed at anyone — be they white, black, Hispanic or Asian. But there’s only one type of racism that seems to have the tacit approval of the left: anti-white racism.
To say nothing about the veiled threat that comes along with “I know where you live,” Durant’s outburst is a prime example of this racial double standard.
Again, had the races been reversed, there would likely be calls to suspend the white NBA player and wall-to-wall coverage of the incident.
But with Durant? You can find an article or two about it, but nothing from prominent outlets like ESPN (a broadcasting partner of the NBA). And the silence is deafening — and telling.
And the world being told is “hypocrisy.”
To this writer, Durant’s racially charged outburst at a fan isn’t a white or black issue. It’s a consistency issue.
Make no mistake, anti-black racism is abhorrent and a scourge on society. It should be condemned as loudly as it usually is by the masses.
That being said, where is the same energy when the race roles are reversed? Oh, that’s right, anti-white racism has basically become institutionalized and largely accepted in the modern culture. Is Durant somehow above reproach? A suspension might be too much, but even a symbolic slap-on-the-wrist fine feels in order here.
The fact that it’s not, or even being discussed, is disgusting, unacceptable, and needs to be called out loudly.
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