Kevin Durant fires back at Mat Isbhia’s comments about him

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kevin Durant fires back at Mat Isbhia’s comments about him

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 17, 2026 3:41 PM ET

Mat Ishbia certainly succeeded in getting Kevin Durant’s attention this week.

The Phoenix Suns owner Ishbia appeared earlier in the week on CNBC Sport. During the interview, Ishbia made two bold predictions about next season for his team.

Ishbia also looked back on the Suns’ failures of years past and specifically name-dropped the Houston Rockets star Durant, who played for Phoenix from 2023-25. Notably, Ishbia said that “bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily lead to championships.”

In a post to his X account on Saturday, Durant fired back at Ishbia’s remarks. “#blameKD,” wrote Durant. “Even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much.

“Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn,” Durant added. “Back to threads.”

#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this “culture” you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 17, 2026

Durant, now 38 years old, was the Suns’ big trade acquisition in 2023, right when Ishbia took over as owner. But the experiment with Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix went kaput, especially after the Suns also added Bradley Beal to the mix in 2024 and proceeded to go 36-46 and miss the playoffs with all three.

The 16-time All-Star Durant eventually became very unhappy in Phoenix, and the team traded him to the Rockets in 2025. Ishbia has also taken other parting shots at Durant ever since Durant’s departure, and now The Slim Reaper is deciding this week to return fire.

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