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Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Steven Adams Shares Thoughts on Kevin Durant's Social Media Scandal

This is a fair take.
Jan 7, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA;  Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) stands during a break in the action against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) stands during a break in the action against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

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Kevin Durant was a Godsend for the Houston Rockets in 2025-26. The Rockets utilized him in a multitude of ways.

He played some point guard, along with essentially every other position on the floor. The Rockets used his offensive gravity to create open looks for other players, as well.

Durant played 78 games and finished second in the league in total minutes played. However, there were rumors and a significant amount of reporting regarding chemistry issues and/or friction in the locker room.

Most of it came from ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins. At least he was the most consistent. Although it’s not always corroborated whenever a talking head speculates about something as delicate as a fractured locker room.

That would seem like something one would only know if they’ve actually been in the locker room and/or spent a significant amount of time around the team. And everything we’d heard from the players didn’t exactly suggest any sort of rift or tension.

With one lone exception. Durant’s burner account scandal on Twitter (or X, as it’s now called). Although that can’t be verified either.

During the All-Star break, images surfaced of a non-verified Twitter account interacting with several others in a group chat. Many believe the user is associated with Durant directly.

We’ve since learned that the Rockets even believed the account was associated with Durant in some capacity. Durant was asked by the media about the account, which made disparaging remarks about Rockets’ two-time All-Star center Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr., whom the franchise selected third overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.

However, Durant neither confirmed nor denied the account, rather stating that he didn’t want to essentially get into conspiracy theories or what he deemed to be “Twitter nonsense”. The Rockets never formally addressed the situation, which allegedly became a major distraction in the locker room.

More details have begun to emerge about the situation ever since the Rockets’ disappointing postseason exit. Rockets center Steven Adams was asked about the situation on the Between Two Beers podcast and explained the importance of being fully aware of who all is in the group chats that high-profile athletes are a part of.

“I think it’s effective. There’s evidence of that I think mate… if you do some digging. Just depends on who you look at. Typically, you’d want to be pretty careful. Depends what you say I guess.” 

Durant has been rather silent on social media ever since the scandal broke out, which isn’t the norm for him. The good thing is that the situation will be fully buried by the time the Rockets take the court again, and more importantly, the team will have their vocal leader back in Fred VanVleet.

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Anthony Duckett
ANTHONY DUCKETT

Anthony Duckett joined Rockets on SI in 2024 and has been covering the NBA professionally since 2019, with stops at FanSided and SB Nation.

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