Kevin Durant has found himself at the center of more “burner” account accusations, the latest that swirled on social media while the Houston Rockets standout played in his 16th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
The 37-year-old’s alleged to be behind direct messages from an anonymous account that criticized players and coaches he’s accompanied during a career that’s seen him win two titles and one league MVP award.
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“I know you gotta ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant told reporters after Houston’s practice on Wednesday. “I’m just here to focus on the season, keep it pushing. But I get you have to ask those questions.”
Durant added: “My teammates know what it is. We’ve been locked in the whole season. … We had a great practice today, looking forward to this road trip.”
At the moment, there’s no evidence that actually links these critical comments to Durant. Still, social media ran rampant with the theory, circulating screenshots of an anonymous user who, among other things, blamed Rockets All-Star center Alperen Şengün for his defense, said that they couldn’t trust forward Jabari Smith Jr. to make a shot or get a stop and took a dig at former Phoenix Suns star teammate Devin Booker.
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Durant is quick to quip, confront and discuss with everyday social media users from his own verified X account, which currently has 19.3 million followers. He isn’t afraid to stir the pot online or engage with casual fans. Many love him for that kind of engagement, which he willingly offers and most NBA stars steer clear of.
Durant was asked at this year’s All-Star Weekend media availability on Saturday if he’d rather give up video games or Twitter, now known as X, for the rest of his life.
“I’m gonna go Twitter,” Durant said before continuing jokingly, “because they don’t deserve to hear this God-level-like talk I’m giving to them. They take it for granted.”
But Durant has used burner accounts before.
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In 2017, Durant posted in the third-person from his personal account, throwing shade on the Oklahoma City Thunder and then-head coach Billy Donovan while explaining his decision from the previous year to leave the franchise that drafted him for the Golden State Warriors, a Western Conference foe and the league’s crown jewel at the time.
Durant owned his mistake and apologized for it in the aftermath of the social media storm he caused.
In 2019, according to The Athletic, Durant said in an interview on ESPN’s “The Boardroom” that he used anonymous accounts as a way to speak out and dodge the notoriety that’s often impossible to hide from as an NBA player.
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Durant is playing in his 18th NBA season. He’s spent 19 total years in the league, representing five franchises.
Now with the Rockets, he’s still among the best in the sport. He’s shooting above 50% from the field and north of 40% from 3. His 25.8 points per game are tops on the team.
While fourth in the West, the 33-20 Rockets will need a strong push to grab the No. 2 seed like they did ahead of last year’s playoffs.
Durant’s trying to tune out the noise, even if it’s once again loud and scrutinizing his social-media presence.
