Kevin Durant‘s game is virtually flawless and when he’s in his rhythm, he’s impossible to contain. However, the former MVP’s one flaw is his social media addiction. Durant is unapologetically and chronically online. Unlike his peers, Durant responds to his critics on X, formerly called Twitter, and doesn’t shy away from a confrontation, even if it’s in his best interest to do so. Durant’s need to defend himself on social media once led to a massive embarrassment for the two-time Finals MVP.
Advertisement
In 2017, the then-Golden State Warriors superstar responded to critics on X, from his profile rather than a burner account. The following day, Durant attended a TechCrunch event in San Francisco and told GQ’s Zach Baron that his social media gaffe made him lose his appetite,
“I didn’t eat yesterday. I wanted to go disappear. I didn’t even feel like that when I switched teams.”
He was asked about the posts while interviewing onstage at the event. He apologized to Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan, saying,
“That was childish. That was idiotic, all those type of words. I regret doing that. I apologize to [Billy Donovan] for doing that.”
Since the incident, Durant has been incessantly trolled for his error. Any account defending him is met with a response claiming they are one of his burner accounts, a frustrating accusation with no viable rebuttal.
To his credit, Durant has embraced the burner jokes. However, when it happened in 2017, the embarrassment left him with no strength to eat.
What did Kevin Durant say through his burner account?
In the 2016 offseason, Kevin Durant shocked the world when he swapped the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. The move came only a couple of months after the former MVP and his teammates blew a 3-1 lead against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Durant’s decision was heavily criticized, with many calling it the ‘weakest move’ by an NBA superstar. He won the title and the Finals MVP in his debut season with his new team but did not receive much adulation, especially on social media. One fan on social media questioned Durant about his decision to leave OKC and asked if there were any other factors except winning an NBA title. The then-reigning Finals MVP replied that he did not like playing under OKC head coach Billy Donovan and that the roster, outside Russell Westbrook, wasn’t championship-caliber.
Durant responded in the third person, sparking speculation that he used burner accounts to defend himself. In the GQ interview, he claimed that he meant to post the replies about Donovan from his profile and not a burner account. However, the comments were in the third person, making it unlikely that he was being honest.
Durant admitted in a 2020 interview with Barstool Sports that he still uses burner accounts.
“I still have burners that I use for sure. I have a burner Twitter account still. When people use that burner thing against me they only thought I was on there just to talk s**t. I was really indulging in a lot of different communities on my burners. When I deleted it I was like ‘these people really made me delete what I enjoy, which is my burner account.’ So, I got another one.”
The 2017 episode has made Durant more careful as he’s yet to make any bizarre remarks from his profile. However, given his penchant for defending himself, a similar mistake is always lurking around the corner.
