The Washington Commanders are advancing to the NFC Championship Game and they have one powerful NBA name in their corner – and their locker room. On Saturday, as the Commanders celebrated their 45-31 upset over the Detroit Lions, they had a special guest at the party: Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
Durant, a D.C. native and longtime Washington fan, supported his favorite team during the unrest. He also landed a few well-placed barbs toward Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Commanding rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil – who had two key interceptions in the matchup – posted a video to his Instagram Story of Durant with the team post game.
“Hey, what should you say?” Sainristil asked Durant.
“Jahmyr, put your glasses on,” said Durant – a reference to Cartier sunglasses. The taunt drew laughter and “oohs” from the commanders’ locker room.
Earlier in the matchup, Gibbs, who is known for his touchdown celebrations, had scored the first touchdown of the game and celebrated by recreating a dance Durant famously did pregame before the 2017 NBA Finals.
Durant was not happy with the tribute.
“I’m already sick of Jahmyr Gibbs. Go somewhere, damn it,” Durant wrote in response to the video on X.
Gibbs finished with 14 rushes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, but the team fell short overall. Both teams put together a historic second quarter in the high-scoring game, with Washington ultimately coming out on top.
After the game, Durant left Detroit with another joke: a video of the original dance with the caption: “Have a great night Detroit.”
The Commanders now advance to the NFC championship game to play the winner of the Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles divisional round on Sunday. We’ll have to see if Durant appears in the locker room again next weekend.