NFL legend Peyton Manning opened the ESPYs with a bang on Wednesday night when he wasted zero time before roasting Kevin Durant with an easy but serviceable joke about the former MVP joining the Warriors. Granted, it’s low-hanging fruit, and Durant has been forced to endure constant criticism from the NBA peanut gallery all season long, but he made things exponentially worse when his reaction proved once again that he doesn’t have much of a sense of humor about himself.
The people of the internet, likewise, wasted little time before going in on Durant with a cavalcade of meme-worthy tweets.
https://twitter.com/theaustinmorris/status/885305344406294528
#PeytonManning roasted @KDTrey5 😂💀 #ESPY #Goat pic.twitter.com/jiIwYm2IjJ
— George Stainko (@Gstainko) July 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/nickjojo/status/885305220246450176
https://twitter.com/StrictlyJohnD/status/885304993884110848
https://twitter.com/wesmarshall5/status/885304590182363136
Him letting the joke bother him made it 1000x worse lol RT @RickyDaPrince1: Kevin Durant face was priceless
— Dash (IG:QCMedia___) (@JROD813) July 13, 2017
Kyrie after watching Peyton joke on KD @ESPYS @KDTrey5 https://t.co/zgNgSEOGHT
— Jorge Rivera (@JungleDrama) July 13, 2017
Then, of course, people couldn’t help but point out that Durant’s own mom had herself a good chuckle at the joke.
His mom laughed but he couldn't? #SOFT
— Sanji Vinsmoke – Pirate Kings' 👨🏽🍳 (@JRPrince8) July 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/FreddieFred_/status/885310173924909056
https://twitter.com/Billy918Locke/status/885310062448828416
And last but not least, what would be the point of it all without a requisite Crying Jordan meme?
Kevin Durant got roasted by Peyton Manning on the #ESPYS opening ceremony 😂😂😂
Peyton Manning made my day! 😁 pic.twitter.com/i3kqBEiNOP
— 🇺🇲 Calvillo𝕋𝕏 🇲🇽 (@CalvilloTX98) July 13, 2017
Immediately after delivering that now classic line, Manning turned to Russell Westbrook, who was sitting on the other side of the auditorium, to get his reaction, but Russ wisely didn’t take the bait.
Durant was obviously hoping that winning his first championship, and taking home Finals MVP honors in the process, would put an end to all this, and he probably wasn’t anticipating that when he showed up to this event that it would end with him being publicly humiliated, but it’s painfully clear that his detractors aren’t finished with him yet. Not by a long-shot.
