Less than a day after the Rockets’ season ended, a report came out citing tension in their locker room still lingering since the All-Star break, when the rumors broke out that Kevin Durant spoke ill of his own teammates in a social media burner account.
During the exit interviews, Ime Udoka, the Rockets’ head coach, addressed these rumors candidly and immediately shut them down.
“Yeah, I mean, for us, it’s almost a little bit laughable when you hear things because you’re like, ‘where the hell did this come from?’ and it’s the opposite of what we deal with daily, and I think that will be echoed by the players if you ask them day-to-day, man-to-man,” said Udoka confidently.
“So they all make jokes about and laugh about the vibe and all that, and I think you saw that throughout the season, but things are said, and it’s always been the case I’ve been in some bad situations, and we’re far from anything like that.”
“You go through your normal ups and downs of the season, and guys are frustrated with losing at times, games we shouldn’t lose, or you know, whatever the situation may be,” he further added.
“But you know, as I said, we almost turn a blind eye to it and make a joke out of it more than anything because these reports come out and you’re like, ‘where did it come from, what are they talking about?'”
“It’s the opposite of what we’re feeling. So don’t put much stock into it, honestly, and I don’t think my guys do either,” Udoka concluded.
Rafael Stone, the Rockets’ general manager, was also sitting with Udoka during the exit interviews and chimed in on the reports. Stone made sure to point out that Sam Amick and Will Guillory were the authors of the most recent report, both of whom are not Houston-based reporters who have spent time with the team.
“Yeah, I want to add to that one. One thing I did note, which I thought was really funny, is that none of you in this room wrote about that. So the people who were around the team weren’t the ones writing it.”
“So I did find it really interesting that the people whose faces I see every day, they didn’t write that. So those of you who aren’t here today, you can note that,” Stone concluded.
Therefore, the Rockets’ leadership has categorically denied that there is any residual effect still resonating in the locker room since the rumors broke out. It will be interesting to see if any player also comments on the report from The Athletic. But for now, there is no evidence to suggest that there is any substance to what was claimed in the controversial article.
