It was almost the perfect metaphor.
At home court for a basketball team whose tech industry owners are abandoning their roots in Oakland for a new stadium (and tonier fan base) in San Francisco, a wealthy tech executive sitting courtside shouts at a black woman for standing up and cheering – a black woman who just happens to be pop superstar Rihanna.
Rihanna grabs attention wherever she goes, but on Thursday night, her enthusiastic support of the Cleveland Cavaliers as they were blown out by the Golden State Warriors in game 1 of the NBA finals was the most exciting game in town.
The eight-time Grammy-winning singer is believed to have heckled Kevin Durant during a free throw, and delighted this reporter at least when she dabbed after bowing to LeBron James.
Listen: Rihanna yells "BRIIIIIICK!!!" at Durant during free throw, he stares her down twice 😂 (h/t @tshent) pic.twitter.com/XYdFOv9mc3
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 2, 2017
Amazing.
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 2, 2017
Rihanna bows to LeBron then hits a dab and small waves a Warriors fan telling her to sit down.
💀 pic.twitter.com/q0IyIPIbGK
It was another incident, however, that set the internet aflame: Apple senior vice-president of internet software and services Eddy Cue standing up and – possibly – shouting toward Rihanna to sit down.
Anyone else see Eddy Cue @cue say "tell that bitch to sit down" after @rihanna was cheering court side? #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/iwRjjYEqno
— BaerFace (@BaerFace) June 2, 2017
Here’s another view of Cue.
Ok, @cue telling @rihanna to sit down after she bows to @KingJames is the best! pic.twitter.com/9JQz48kLSh
— Konrad Siemek (@ksiemek) June 2, 2017
Cue, whose role at Apple includes overseeing Apple Music and iTunes, is a huge Warriors fan whose wild gesticulations made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle last year. He is also decidedly a member of the tech elite whose newfound enthusiasm for the once woeful Warriors has left many longtime fans feeling priced-out and abandoned.
Cue denied that he had been addressing Rihanna, tweeting that he was “excited about our lead and actually talking to” someone else. (Apple did not respond to questions, referring reporters to Cue’s tweet.)
Nothing but love for Rihanna (and KD, too!) As usual I was excited about our lead and actually talking to Marissa, 8 seats to my right.
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 2, 2017
The denial has not stopped some of Rihanna’s fans from threatening a boycott of Apple products over the disrespect.
Oh cancelling my Apple Music subscription @cue - no one yells at Rihanna, especially not a grown white man telling her to "sit down"
— Eileen Carey (@eileenmcarey) June 2, 2017
If @cue doesn't apologize for his recent misogynist outburst towards @Rihanna I'm cancelling my subscription @AppleMusic
— STAUNCH (@KammBe) June 2, 2017
A spokesperson for Rihanna did not immediately respond to a request for comment, so we’ll just leave this here.
— Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew) June 2, 2017
