It’s been a week since the alleged “KD Files” controversy. But stories keep on coming, increasing the scrutiny on Kevin Durant. Despite his game-high 30 points against the New York Knicks, a moment from sideline reporter Lisa Salters added more fuel to the ongoing debate about whether the alleged Twitter account belonged to the Houston Rockets star.

During ESPN’s coverage of the Saturday night showdown, Salters pointed out an interesting detail. “What KD did not say was that the account was not his,” Salters reported. “With KD neither confirming nor denying the allegations, the speculations are just kind of left out there. And you have to wonder if it’s having any effect on the Rockets locker room.”

The statement from the ESPN veteran sportscaster was aimed at the first media availability interaction after the All-Star break. KD was directly asked if he owned the burner account, and the answer was less convincing. “I know you were gonna ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Kevin Durant said at the time. Instead of directly disowning the account, the answer was cryptic.

The account in question is @gethigher77, which has been disparaging former teammates and coaches, as well as many of Durant’s current teammates like Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and others, in group chats with fans.

The alleged link to KD is also strong due to the Houston star’s own admission back in 2019, where he acknowledged he used anonymous accounts to speak freely without the spotlight.

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So far, there’s no verification if the account belongs to Durant or not. When asked about it following All-Star weekend, Durant brushed it off as “Twitter nonsense,” making it clear that the team’s focus is on the court. While his performance was important in the win over the Hornets, it was a different story against the Knicks.

Houston had a 93-75 lead with 11 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and had a 101-97 lead with under two minutes to go. The Rockets were outscored 33-15 in the fourth as they gave up nine turnovers compared to one for the Knicks. KD had four turnovers in the game, but 3 of them were in the final quarter. One such instance was when the Knicks’ Jose Alvarado snuck up behind Kevin Durant and got the steal with the score being 103-99.

From that point on, the Knicks would outscore the Rockets 9-3 en route to winning the game 108-106 at Madison Square Garden. But KD’s worry in the clutch time continued. In fact, the 2x NBA champion could only score 5 points with 2-7 shooting. His late three-pointer with 2 seconds left on the clock brought the game within one point.

His performance led to criticism, but even before the tip-off, another controversy on the business end put more spotlight on the burner account issue.

Kevin Durant’s business partner stepped in

On February 21, a development appeared away from the court, when KD’s co-founded sports, media, and entertainment brand Boardroom fired its full-time editorial team. This was mere days after the alleged messages involving Durant circulated publicly. Deputy editor of The Huffington Post, Philip Lewis, broke the news.

“Boardroom, the sports, media, and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman, has eliminated its full-time editorial team.” Lewis further added, “The layoff was unexpected and laid-off staff were unable to export their email contacts,” on X. There is no confirmed connection between the layoffs and the ongoing controversy. Still, the proximity between the two events fueled discussion because Durant had already dismissed the allegations as nonsense earlier in the week.

But his business partner and long-time agent, Rich Kleiman, added a story with no words but just one emoji,”🧢.” Kevin Durant’s close associate did put some words hours ago to put this controversy to bed. “We’re focused on prioritizing the areas that will have the greatest impact on our brand and community. As part of this evolution, we’ve made the decision to part ways with three writers. We’re grateful for the work that these three writers have done for us over the years, and we wish them continued success in their next chapters.”

Kleiman did confirm that Boardroom took the executive decision to part ways with their staff. He called Boardroom a non-traditional media brand entering the next phase, because of which they had to pivot. About this business move, Kevin Durant remained silent. Even his statement about the Twitter controversy was not convincing, which Slater pointed out.