--- title: Rihanna Won the NBA Finals by Dabbing description: Noted basketball enthusiast Rihanna stole the show at the first game of the NBA Finals, where she not only taunted KD but dabbed on a fan. canonical: https://time.com/4802935/rihanna-nba-finals/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-02T15:29:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:05:12.824Z og:title: Rihanna Dabs and Heckles at the First Game of the NBA Finals og:description: We all know who the real MVP of this game was og:url: https://time.com/4802935/rihanna-nba-finals/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt163674f5407b745a/6988cfe7bc6cfc5cfd3e1a56/rihanna-kevin-durant-nba-finals.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: 2017 NBA Finals - Game One og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rihanna Dabs and Heckles at the First Game of the NBA Finals twitter:description: We all know who the real MVP of this game was twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt163674f5407b745a/6988cfe7bc6cfc5cfd3e1a56/rihanna-kevin-durant-nba-finals.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rihanna Was the Real Winner of Game 1 of the NBA Finals > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=620c1a41-eaa3-414b-9346-6beaa2f7aa9b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Rihanna was the NBA Finals Game 1 MVP [Watch (HLS stream): Rihanna was the NBA Finals Game 1 MVP](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JxOZqRq0.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2017-06-02. Rihanna pulled a savage move (a couple of them, actually) during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Ri-Ri sat courtside and heckled Warriors forward Kevin Durant. Did he notice?_  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jun 2, 2017 3:29 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jun 2, 2017 3:29 PM UTC The [Golden State Warriors](http://time.com/4351966/golden-state-warriors-nba-city-thunder/) beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in [the first game of the NBA Finals](http://time.com/money/4798003/cavaliers-warriors-nba-finals-tickets-prices/), but the real winner of the night was none other than noted basketball enthusiast, [Rihanna](http://time.com/4762629/rihanna-queen-met-gala-2017/). The bad gal held court on the sidelines, where she effectively upstaged one of the biggest rivalries in the league, wreacked havoc on the hearts of sports commentators and heckled fans and players alike as only she could. Fans should have known that this game would belong to Rihanna when the[ _Anti_](http://time.com/4198509/rihanna-anti-review/) singer caught the attention of ESPN commentator and former coach Jeff Van Gundy at the same time that LeBron James was making a magnificent dunk. While Van Gundy’s fellow analysts were talking about the play, all he could do was marvel that Rihanna had just walked by him. > [](https://twitter.com/sdbcraig/status/870455101978284032) But the fun didn’t stop there. Rihanna, [a longtime super fan of James](https://www.instagram.com/p/BG3JMOMhMwA/), got into the spirit of the game by bowing to King James and then pettily dabbing on a Dubs fan. > [](https://twitter.com/World%5FWide%5FWob/status/870481182504497152) It appears she took her investment in the competition between the Cavs and the Warriors very seriously by taunting the Warriors’ Kevin Durant while he was making free throws. It looks like KD didn’t really appreciate it. > [](https://twitter.com/World%5FWide%5FWob/status/870478597252943872) > [](https://twitter.com/JBlock49/status/870481315937869824) Even though her favorite King James didn’t take home a win that night, one thing is certain: Rihanna is the real MVP. > [](https://twitter.com/murrminks/status/870479722949427200) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] For you Kevin, toward the end of the game you shot a three, kinda putting the dagger into them. You look toward the crowd toward Rhianna. Was that on purpose or do you remember that? I don't even remember that. [ LAUGH ] Well just to let you know social media is buzzing about that. Really? [ INAUDIBLE ] Yes. Don't get in that trap? [ LAUGH ] Yeah, I don't get in that. [ LAUGH ] I'm cool. Have fun with that. 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