Kevin Durant landed back in the spotlight this week, and not for anything he did on the court. News broke that he’ll be sitting out the Houston Rockets’ next two games, and NBA fans immediately turned it into meme fuel.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Durant will miss Monday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns and Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors because he has to attend to a family matter. Missing two games is one thing, but missing games against his former teams had fans instantly cracking jokes.
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss Monday’s game in Phoenix and Wednesday’s contest in Golden State tending to a family matter, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 23, 2025
One fan jumped in with, “bros scared to face his old teams.”
Another added, “KD wants nothing to do with revenge games.”
A third took it even further: “coward, always running away from steph.”
The Rockets have started 10–4, and Durant has been central to that run. Losing him for back-to-back games isn’t ideal, especially with how well he’s been playing. On the surface, it’s a pretty obvious blow to what Houston’s got rolling.
“Can’t see him missing time for anyone else”: NBA fans show support for Kevin Durant amid serious family matter
Still, not everyone piled on. Once the “family matter” part of the story settled in, plenty of fans pushed back at the jokes and offered some genuine support.
“I instantly thought about his Mom, Dad, or brother. Can’t see him missing time for anyone else,” one person wrote.
I instantly thought about his Mom, Dad, or brother. Can’t see him missing time for anyone else.
— Jamie (@faithsports3) November 23, 2025
Another said, “I’m disappointed because I wanted a full power rockets, but no Ill will towards Durant. Hope it’s nothing too serious.”
One Suns fan tried to balance both sides: “As a human, hope his family is okay. As a Sun’s fan, he’s ducking.”
Durant hasn’t said anything publicly yet, but the reaction shows the split: half roasting him, half hoping everything’s alright behind the scenes.
On the court, he’s been as reliable as ever, putting up 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists a night while shooting 48.5%. Houston will have to get by without him for a couple games, but if it’s something serious involving family, fans may need to cool the jokes—at least until Durant’s back in uniform.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
