Alperen Sengun is pushing back hard on the idea that he and Kevin Durant were ever at odds during Durant’s first season with the Houston Rockets.
The talk around the team got louder after Durant’s year ended on a sour note. He was sidelined by a knee injury and could only watch as the Rockets were knocked out by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
That finish came after a season already marked by controversy, especially the alleged group chat messages in which Durant supposedly mocked teammates, including Sengun. Durant never fully shut that story down, and the speculation around his relationship with Sengun only grew from there.
But Sengun says the narrative doesn’t match reality.
“A perception suddenly formed out of nowhere. I’ve never had an argument with KD.
Not even once. We’ve never raised our voices at each other.
We always talk, and we always talk after games too. We especially talked after games we lost,” said Sengun.
He said the two of them, along with coach Ime Udoka, wear losses plainly because they care so much about winning.
“Because we’re people who hate losing, you can see that on our faces during games. You can read it on KD’s face.
You can read it on my face. You can read it on Ime’s (Udoka) face.”
Sengun also made clear that some tension is part of the job, not proof of a split. In his view, outside observers were too eager to turn ordinary competitive friction into a bigger story.
“When we lost games, everyone looking from the outside tried to attack us and find any small thing they could pick on. They tried to pit us against each other.
Attacking me through the coach. Because there are so many people out there who want to see us fail, you know?”
added Sengun.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next. Sengun and Durant will try to keep building on their connection from last season, and Houston expects more help around them as Fred VanVleet returns to full health while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard continue to rise.
In Other News...
Magic Johnson Sees Something In The Rockets Fans Have To Hear
Magic Johnsons latest read on the Rockets is the kind of outside validation Houston fans always notice, especially after a season that ended with 52 wins but a first-round exit. Looking ahead to 2026-27, Johnson pointed to how tough both conferences figure to be, while also recognizing that the Rockets have kept building around a core that already proved it can win in the regular season.
Houston also went into the offseason looking to add more muscle, bringing in Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic to deepen the roster and give the team more ways to match up when the games tighten up. Johnsons optimism fits with the idea that the Rockets are moving closer to the leagues upper tier, but the real question is whether all the pieces line up when the pressure rises again. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Fans Suddenly Have A Serious Tari Eason Question
Social media chatter around Tari Eason has put the Rockets forward in an uncomfortable spotlight, with online posts and screenshots driving a wave of reaction tied to a deeply personal situation. The allegations have spread quickly enough to become a talking point beyond the usual basketball circles, and they have left Houston fans waiting for clearer answers as the story continues to develop.
Easons mother has publicly pushed back on the narrative, calling it misleading and signaling that legal action could be coming. Eason himself has not addressed the situation publicly, which has only added to the uncertainty around a matter that now sits at the intersection of personal fallout and public scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]