--- 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: 2026-04-13T07:44:08.471Z 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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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jun 2, 2017 3:29 PM UTC  OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 01: Recording artist Rihanna attends Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 01: Recording artist Rihanna attends Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Thearon W. Henderson—Getty Images  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) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4802935/rihanna-nba-finals/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4802935/rihanna-nba-finals/"},"headline":"Rihanna Was the Real Winner of Game 1 of the NBA Finals","datePublished":"2017-06-02T15:29:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:44:08.471Z","description":"We all know who the real MVP of this game was","url":"https://time.com/4802935/rihanna-nba-finals/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Basketball","Lebron James","Kevin Durant","Rihanna","NBA","Sports"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt163674f5407b745a/6988cfe7bc6cfc5cfd3e1a56/rihanna-kevin-durant-nba-finals.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt163674f5407b745a/6988cfe7bc6cfc5cfd3e1a56/rihanna-kevin-durant-nba-finals.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2017 NBA Finals - Game One","caption":"2017 NBA Finals - Game One","creditText":"Thearon W. 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