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Did Kevin Durant stare down Rihanna during the Warriors' Game 1 NBA Finals win?

Henry Bushnell
Senior soccer reporter

Kevin Durant was feeling himself during the Golden State Warriors’ 113-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He had six first-half dunks and a dominant 38 points on the night. He also might have stared down noted LeBron James superfan Rihanna:

Durant was back at it in the fourth quarter after drilling a 3-pointer in transition:

It’s unclear if Durant was actually looking over at Rihanna after his jumpers, or if his gaze was directed at another fan. He was asked about the stares postgame, and decided — perhaps in part due to some non-verbal advice from Steph Curry — to feign innocence:

But if we connect the dots … Rihanna was sitting in that area — courtside, roughly free-throw line extended on that side of the floor. She was also apparently heckling Durant during the game. And she’s clearly supporting LeBron and the Cavs.

In fact, as she was leaving the arena, she made her rooting interests explicit (in more ways than one):

There’s no real history between Durant and the famous singer, but her love for LeBron seems to be the source behind the in-game stares.

If Durant’s old tweets are any indication, though, he himself is an adoring fan:

There’s also a theory that Durant plays better when Rihanna is in attendance — though apparently he’s not the only NBA player who does so. Thursday night’s Game 1 certainly supported that theory.

The Durant interactions weren’t the only time Rihanna made her way onto the broadcast. Many fans noticed her dabbing as she returned to her courtside seat:

She also walked by the broadcast table during the first half, prompting ABC color commentator Jeff Van Gundy to focus on her presence rather than a vicious LeBron dunk:

That drew a hilarious “Stay with the game!” from play-by-play guy Mike Breen.

But even with Rihanna’s support, LeBron and the Cavaliers were overwhelmed by the Warriors in Oakland. They’ll return to the floor on Sunday for Game 2. No reports yet on whether or not Rihanna will be in attendance for that one as well. But given her enthusiastic LeBron fandom, would you bet against her making a second straight appearance?