It never really starts with basketball when it comes to Kevin Durant, it starts online.

A reply. A like. A screenshot. A username no one recognizes, until everyone thinks they do.

For nearly a decade, Kevin Durant’s relationship with burner accounts has lived in this strange space between humour, controversy, and just curiosity. It is one of the few storylines in modern sports where a generational superstar, one of the most efficient scorers the league has ever seen, becomes just as famous for anonymous tweets as he is for pull-up jumpers.

And somehow, in 2026, the story is still evolving.

The Origin of the Burner Era

The story began in September 2017, the moment that permanently attached the word “burner” to Kevin Durant’s public identity.

While responding to a fan criticizing his departure from Oklahoma City, Durant accidentally replied from his verified account instead of an anonymous one. The response was written in the third person, defending himself while criticizing his former situation, including comments about not enjoying playing for coach Billy Donovan and claiming he “couldn’t win with those cats.”

It transformed overnight from a simple mistake into a defining narrative. Kevin Durant later admitted he had used multiple burner accounts, calling the behavior “childish and idiotic,” yet also human. He wanted space to speak without the suffocating filter placed on superstars.

From that moment forward, every anonymous defence of Kevin Durant online became suspect.

Why He Kept Using Them

What makes Durant’s burner saga unique is not the exposure, it is the transparency that followed.

Rather than deny everything, Kevin Durant leaned into explanation.

In interviews, including appearances on media platforms and podcasts, he described burner accounts as a way to “live a normal life.” Without the verified badge, he could debate basketball, joke with friends, or respond to criticism without the pressure of millions watching every word.

He admitted he still had them. He even joked about being “ready and armed” to use them.

That contrast is why the story never died, but we all still have 1 question: how could someone so dominant on the court still feel compelled to defend himself anonymously?

The Pattern That Fueled the Memes

After 2017, smaller incidents kept the narrative alive.

Accidental likes on critical posts. Arguments with trolls. Online back-and-forths that felt too personal for a superstar of his stature.

Each moment reinforced the same caricature, Kevin Durant as hyper-online, deeply aware of public opinion, and unwilling to let criticism go unanswered.

It created two competing perceptions:

• Positive: He was authentic, accessible, unfiltered, a superstar willing to engage directly.
• Negative: He was overly sensitive, unable to ignore noise.

Enter 2026: The @gethigher77 Speculation

Just when it felt like the burner storyline had cooled, All-Star Weekend 2026 reignited everything.

An account, @gethigher77, began circulating across social media. Created in 2021 but newly scrutinized, it was accused of being Kevin Durant’s latest anonymous persona.

The “evidence,” according to internet detectives:

• An owl header image similar to ones Durant used before
• Alleged screenshots of group chats discussing teammates and team dynamics
• Self-deprecating humour mixed with critical commentary
• Claims from users who said interactions “felt like KD”

The screenshots went viral almost instantly. Some fans called them hilarious. Others called them damaging.

Notably, there has been no confirmation the account belongs to Durant. No league investigation. No disciplinary action.

But in the social media era, proof is often secondary to plausibility, and for Durant, plausibility alone is enough to trend worldwide.

The Basketball Reality Gets Overshadowed

What makes the burner narrative so fascinating, and frustrating, is that it exists alongside elite on-court production.

Now with the Houston Rockets, Durant is still performing at an All-NBA level at age 37.

Through roughly 50 games:

• 25.8 PPG
• 5.3 RPG
• 4.4 APG
• 50.6% FG
• 40.3% 3PT
• 88.0% FT

Efficiency remains absurd. His mid-range scoring gravity still bends defences. His shot profile, high release, minimal contest vulnerability, has aged perfectly.

Houston, sitting near the top tier of the Western Conference standings, has benefited enormously from his veteran scoring presence alongside its young core.

The Duality of Kevin Durant

This is what makes Durant such a uniquely modern superstar.

He is both:

• A historically great scorer with MVP and Finals pedigree
• A player constantly entangled in online discourse

The burners symbolize that duality.

They reveal a competitor who not only wants to win games, but arguments. Someone who does not separate public perception from personal identity.

For some fans, that makes him relatable. For others, it diminishes his mystique.

Michael Jordan created distance.
LeBron James curates messaging.
Durant engages directly, sometimes anonymously.

And that difference reshapes how he is perceived historically.

Positive Sentiment: Humanizing Greatness

There is an argument that burners make Durant more human.

Superstars are often media-trained into emotional neutrality. Durant resists that mold. He speaks candidly, reacts in real time, and refuses to pretend criticism does not affect him.

In an era where athletes build brands as corporations, Durant still behaves like a fan with elite basketball talent.

Negative Sentiment: Legacy Distraction

Every burner story pulls attention away from his basketball brilliance. Instead of discussing his scoring longevity, discourse shifts to screenshots and speculation.

For a player chasing top-10 all-time placement, narrative weight matters.

Fair or not, legacy is shaped not only by performance, but perception, and burners complicate that.

Final Reflection

Kevin Durant’s burner account saga is no longer just controversy.

A decade-long subplot running parallel to one of the greatest scoring careers the sport has ever seen. Anonymous replies existing beside championship rings. Private usernames coexisting with public greatness.

Whether @gethigher77 is him or not almost feels secondary now.

Because the myth has outgrown the proof.

Durant will be remembered for his MVP, his Finals dominance, his impossible shot-making.

But he will also be remembered as the superstar who never fully logged off, who engaged the world not just from the hardwood, but from behind the screen.

In the modern NBA, that dual presence may be as defining as any stat line.

And somehow, that makes Kevin Durant even more fascinating.