Paul Pierce (L), Kevin Durant (R) Paul Pierce (L), Kevin Durant (R) Credits: IMAGN

Paul Pierce Defends Kevin Durant Amid Alleged Burner Leak

Originally posted on The SportsRush | By Nickeem Khan | Last updated Feb 20, 2026 5:12 PM ET

February 15 was an unforgettable night for the NBA. One would think that first competitive All-Star Game in years would be the talk across the community. Instead, leaked messages of an alleged burner account belonging to Kevin Durant became public. Although it hasn’t been confirmed that the account belongs to him, he has been subjected to heavy scrutiny. However, not everyone is eager to blame Durant.

A burner account associated with Durant isn’t something new. The two-time NBA champion has had content from such accounts on X leaked in the past. KD has even boldly embraced them. He has since been using his main account to troll fans … until now, it seems .

The leaked messages show the alleged burner account speaking about several people affiliated with Durant. The most eye-catching were the words about Durant’s current Houston Rockets teammates, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. It’s safe to say, if that account does belong to Durant, it can cause some friction in the locker room.

However, former NBA champion Paul Pierce doesn’t believe it’s as big an issue as people are making it out to be.

“They’re a young team, and they respect Durant,” Pierce said on No Fouls Given. “Even if he said it, he can go in there and just be like, that was my people’s, my bad. They’ll get over it cause that’s KD.”

Paul Pierce talking about the Kevin Durant burner account situation

“They’re a young team and they respect Durant. Even if he said it, he can go in there and just be like, you know what, that was my people’s my bad. And they’ll get over it cuz that’s KD, dog. So what? I said… pic.twitter.com/JJst9UAurx

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 20, 2026

One thing Pierce is right about is the respect level the Rockets roster has for Durant. The entire group welcomed the future Hall-of-Fame forward with open arms ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season. Smith, in particular, has followed Durant closely in an effort to learn as much as he can from him.

So, instead of moping around if the account does belong to Durant, Pierce believes the group should take a different course of action.

“Show me something different. Show me I’m lying. Then I look at the other guys who we’re talking about. Y’all really ain’t stepping up,” Pierce said.

It’s understandable why Durant may be frustrated. The 37-year-old didn’t go to Houston to carry another team. He knew he would have an important role offensively, but anticipated that the team’s core would support him much more than they have.

Does it warrant speaking ill of his teammates? Certainly not. We will have to wait and see whether the team responds like Pierce wants them to. There isn’t many games left in the season, so, we will have to see whether the Rockets rally together or implode before the postseason.

This article first appeared on The SportsRush and was syndicated with permission.

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