The day pop sensation Rihanna left NBA icon Jeff Van Gundy ‘gushing’
by NY PostThree years later, Jeff Van Gundy can recall his encounter with Rihanna as if it happened yesterday.
During an appearance Monday on the “A Minute Til 6” podcast, the ESPN commentator reflected on Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and the Warriors, when he was briefly distracted by the 32-year-old singer.
“She walked right in front of our table,” Van Gundy detailed. “I guess she was coming in fashionably late.”
Van Gundy recounted how the series of unexpected events unfolded as LeBron James “had an incredible dunk” off of a pass from Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson.
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“Then the Warriors attack immediately and get fouled. And as I was looking as the play went the other way, she walked right in front of me and I was just starstruck,” Van Gundy said.
While Van Gundy has been teased for”gushing” over the experience, the former Knicks coach has a message for his critics.
“Have you ever seen Rihanna five feet from you? You’d gush too,” he quipped. “It just caught me off guard.”
In addition to Van Gundy, Rihanna was also in Kevin Durant’s field of vision that night.
Rihanna, a fan of James, infamously heckled Durant, who later appeared to give her a look during the game.