As part of their ongoing run in the pre-Olympic exhibition games, Team USA faces off against South Sudan. Marking the first of two games to be held at London’s iconic O2 Arena, it proves to be another major challenge for the star roster of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant as they look to improve their team’s cohesion before the trip to Paris, next week. With luck seeming to be given equal importance as skill, Bron didn’t back away from repeating his pre-game ritual. Unfortunately, while doing the same, it seems to have caused distress to his veteran teammate.

Since the beginning of Bron’s career, the ‘Chalk Toss’ has been a common pre-game practice. While other players rubbed chalk on their hands to improve their grip when handling the ball, James modified this ritual by tossing it high in the air, watching it disappear. So, he did it again before the South Sudan game and Kevin Durant, who was right in the direction of where the dust flew, began rubbing his face with his hands and shirt. The video was over before King James reacted, but this did seem like one of KD’s antics.

The Phoenix Suns star has been dealing with a calf strain since a few weeks ago. Kawhi Leonard was asked to return to the US since his injury sustained during the regular season did not allow him to give his 100%. However, the same action was not taken with Durant. After all, alongside LeBron James, he is the most experienced Olympian with 3 gold medals to his name. Therefore, he was placed on the sidelines for the exhibition games, with the hope that he would recover before Team USA’s first main game against Serbia.

Fans have a chuckle after Kevin Durant “horses around” after LeBron James’ ‘Chalk Toss’

No sooner had the clip of LeBron James’ ‘Chalk Toss’ gone viral when people quickly started sharing their reactions in the comments section. One of them jokingly stated, “We got KD hitting the howl of shabriri before GTA 6.” An incantation move from the 2022 RPG game Elden Ring- the NBA player’s reaction had him putting up similar hand movements as the main character!

One individual highlighted his frustration with the Team USA roster, stating, “Losing to South Sudan is crazy.” Whether or not LeBron James’ ‘Chalk Toss’ worked is a story for a different day, however, the game turned out to be a nail-biter. They had a good start to the matchup, with LeBron James scoring the first points of the game. Unfortunately, by the time the game reached its halfway point, it was South Sudan who was leading by a 58-44 score!

The star roster has been in a precarious position earlier, super-narrowly winning their matchup against Australia 98-92. However, this is the first time in the recent exhibition series that a rival team has taken such a significant lead. Not just any team, but one that has only managed to qualify for the Olympics in 2024.

Another social media user questioned the veteran’s reaction by asking, “Was he serious or just horsing around? (laughing emoji).” Fortunately, the small smile that seems to have appeared on Durant’s face at the end confirmed the latter.

Kevin Durant has been known to possess a sense of humor throughout the course of his NBA career. From joking around with hecklers to making an amusing remark about Anthony Edwards’s Shoe Line, the 35-year-old enjoys every moment. One commenter highlighted his belief, “KD acting sus after meeting Speed.” This was a reference to when KD sat down for an interview with ‘IShowSpeed.’ He certainly earned some brownie points from the live streamer when he deemed “Ronaldo” to be the GOAT during the interview.

Overall, the reactions carried no negative tone against Kevin Durant. With South Sudan putting Team USA in a precarious position by halftime, fans would certainly wish that the veteran return to the main lineup soon.