Kevin Durant convinced everyone he was grumpy at the ESPYs when Peyton Manning roasted him, but the NBA Finals MVP is having the last laugh. Durant set the sports world aflame on Wednesday night when it appeared he couldn’t take a joke about joining a super team.
Kevin Durant has the last laugh after looking sour at the ESPYs
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
It turns out it was staged.
Honestly, this makes sense. It’s not dissimilar to the roasts during the beginning of the Academy Awards, when one actor is always cast as the “overly upset one” when the camera roams the crowd.
What made this work was how well KD sold it. Even with his mom next to him cracking up, Durant didn’t so much as smirk. He internalized it all and made everyone (including us) believe it was real.
The best part is that KD kept it up after the show was over, refusing to hint that it was a gag.
Well played.
