It seems no matter where he goes Kevin Durant will have his fans and unfortunately, haters. The 12-time All-Star was in Greece recently to support former Nets teammate Mike James as his Monaco side took on Olympiacos at the “Peace and Friendship Stadium” in Piraeus.
Durant was showered with boos as he appeared on the arena’s jumbotron, much to his amusement. The sold-out stadium was filled with fiery Olympiacos supporters who cheered on their team as they edged out Monaco 94-88 in Game 5 of the quarter-finals. They now advance to the EuroLeague semi-finals where they face defending champions Anadolu Efes.
European basketball is known for its passionate fans. The stadium was lit with flares during the game prompting Durant to label it “The apocalypse”.
One European basketball aficionado questioned if any NBA fan base could rival the passion of European fans though Durant pointed out that such actions would probably land them in prison.
Durant also attended Game 4 of the series in Monaco where he sat courtside and received a much warmer reception from the local Monaco fans compared to the hostile Greek fans.
Boos aside, having an MVP caliber player such as Kevin Durant in attendance at EuroLeague basketball games is a huge coup for the sport in Europe.
