Kevin Durant Accused Of Quitting On Houston Rockets

It appears the 2025-26 season is going to end in brutal fashion for Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

Despite being heavily favored heading into their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets are on the verge of being swept by LeBron James and a shorthanded crew.

The Rockets figured their Game 1 loss was mainly due to Durant's absence. The former MVP was held out due to a bruised right knee. However, he returned for Game 2 and scored 23 points in a 101-94 loss.

Just hours before tipoff for Game 3, the Rockets ruled out Durant. The Rockets said he was dealing with swelling in his left ankle. Oddly enough though, he wasn't on Houston's bench during Friday night's overtime loss.

While there's no question Durant is hurt at the moment, fans are wondering if he quit on the Rockets.

"I still don't understand why KD wasn't with his team for Game 3," Bill Simmons of The Ringer said. "He's won 2 playoff series since 2019 and his team was down 0-2 in a must-win game… he's just MIA? What's the actual story here?"

"Kevin Durant whole point was to get us close enough to a championship and yet he quit on another team again," a Rockets fan wrote on X.

"Durant is gonna want out of Houston but if I'm literally any other team there's no way I want him on my team the way he literally quit on his teammates," a second fan said.

"KD is a quitter, team chemistry killer just an overall loser," another fan added. "If he hadn't pulled the weakest move in sports history he would've never won a ring."

Will Durant return for Game 4?

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was asked if fans should expect Durant back in the lineup for Sunday's elimination game. As of now, the future Hall of Famer's status is up in the air.

"I think we made some progress in the last few days, but we'll see how that [goes] with only one day in between," Udoka told reporters.

Game 4 of the Lakers-Rockets series is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 11:46 AM.