During a Q&A session at Fanatics Fest in New York, basketball player Kevin Durant appeared to ignore the Argentina national soccer team, including star Lionel Messi, as he walked past them on stage. Durant was set to be the next guest following a segment involving Messi and former NFL player Tom Brady.
After taking the stage with a visible smirk, Durant walked behind the Argentina squad before receiving the microphone from Brady. He acknowledged other guests, such as comedian Kevin Hart and Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente, before addressing Argentina's goalkeeper Emi Martínez directly. Durant then posed a question to Martínez about what winning back-to-back World Cups would mean for his country and team.
The interaction occurred days before Argentina was scheduled to face Spain in a World Cup final match. Argentina aimed to become the first team to win consecutive tournaments since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, while Spain sought its first World Cup title under de la Fuente's coaching and its first overall since 2010.
Despite the initial apparent snub, Durant later took a selfie with some of the players and other celebrities present at the event.