Kevin Durant Skydio Drone Claims Under Fire

Kevin Durant was logging his 16th NBA All Star appearance while the internet was busy staging a different kind of contest. This one involved alleged burner accounts, leaked screenshots, and an unexpected subplot about drones and Yahoo! Sports reported about it.

The Houston Rockets forward suddenly found himself at the center of accusations that he operated a locked X account, reportedly @gethigher77, to criticize teammates in private group chats.

At the same time, critics revived claims about his investment in a U.S. drone company, suggesting darker implications tied to surveillance and overseas defense sales.

There is one problem with the entire storm.

There is no verified evidence tying Durant to the account in question.

The Burner Account Allegations

Durant’s history with burner accounts is well documented. In 2017, he accidentally replied to a critic from his verified account while intending to use an anonymous profile, effectively confirming he had used burners in the past. He later admitted it and even joked about it.

That history makes new accusations stick faster.

This time, leaked screenshots allegedly showed Durant insulting teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün in group chats.

The backlash spread quickly across social media, especially during NBA All Star Weekend when attention was already amplified.

But here is what has not surfaced.

• No forensic analysis.
• No platform confirmation.
• No IP verification.
• No metadata linking the account to Durant.

Screenshots alone are not proof. Anyone with basic editing skills can fabricate messages. High profile athletes are frequent targets of impersonation and digital manipulation.

Streamer NEON, who says he knows Durant personally, publicly denied the authenticity of the messages during a livestream on February 16. Other associates echoed similar denials. Durant himself has not publicly commented.

That silence may fuel speculation, but silence is not evidence.

The Skydio Backdrop

The drone angle in this controversy centers on Skydio, the California based drone maker known for its AI driven autonomous systems.

At DroneXL, we have written extensively about Skydio over the years. We covered its aggressive push into U.S. government contracts, its positioning as the leading American alternative to DJI, and its sustained lobbying efforts in Washington.

Skydio executives testified before Congress, warned about Chinese drone dominance, and actively supported policies that tightened restrictions on DJI products inside the United States.

Whether you agree with the outcome or not, Skydio was part of the pressure ecosystem that helped fuel the political momentum behind restrictions and proposed bans targeting DJI. The company framed the issue as national security. Critics argued it was also market strategy.

At the same time, Skydio has worked hard to place its drones inside U.S. police and public safety departments, marketing them as secure American built alternatives. Supporters see that as rebuilding domestic manufacturing capacity. Critics argue that performance gaps remain when compared to DJI systems, especially in terms of reliability, flight time, and overall ecosystem maturity.

That broader debate about performance versus policy is where Durant’s investment gets pulled into something much larger than basketball.

Where the Timing Raises Questions

According to reporting, the alleged burner screenshots surfaced shortly after a heated exchange in which a fan criticized Durant for investing in Skydio.

The individual who reportedly first shared the leaked messages was also involved in that exchange. The timing is notable. If someone wanted to connect Durant’s name to controversy over drone policy and defense related investments, releasing alleged private insults at that exact moment would maximize reputational damage.

It does not prove fabrication.

But it does suggest motive is not an irrelevant factor.

The Financial Stakes

This is not a minor PR hiccup.

The Rockets traded significant assets to acquire Durant and later signed him to a reported $90 million extension through the 2027 28 season. At 37, he is not just a scorer. He is expected to mentor a young core that includes Smith Jr. and Şengün.

Locker rooms operate on trust. Even unverified allegations can introduce doubt.

If teammates believe the messages are real, chemistry suffers. If they are fake, then someone attempted to destabilize a franchise level investment with nothing more than manipulated screenshots and strategic timing.

Either way, the Rockets have a reputational and financial interest in clarity.

No Verification, Only Noise

At this stage, there is no confirmed link between Durant and the @gethigher77 account. There has been no public authentication from X, no digital forensic breakdown, and no verified source establishing ownership.

That matters.

Durant’s past burner admissions make him an easy narrative target. When you have previously admitted to using anonymous accounts, the presumption of guilt becomes culturally convenient.

But convenient narratives are not evidence.

In an era where AI tools can generate hyper realistic fake chats and doctored screenshots in minutes, the burden of proof must be higher than viral momentum.

DroneXL’s Take

This story sits at the intersection of sports, tech lobbying, and digital misinformation.

Durant’s investment in Skydio places him adjacent to one of the most politically charged debates in the drone industry. We have covered how American drone policy shifted, how DJI became the focal point of congressional scrutiny, and how domestic players pushed hard to reshape the market. That debate is real. It is ongoing. It is complicated.

But that debate is separate from whether Durant secretly insulted his teammates in a group chat.

Right now, there is no verified evidence that he did.

If the screenshots are fabricated, then this episode becomes a warning about how quickly narratives can be engineered when business interests, geopolitics, and celebrity collide. If they are real, then the consequences will play out inside a locker room that just invested $90 million in leadership.

Either way, the lesson for the drone industry is clear. When technology companies operate in politically sensitive arenas, anyone connected to them can become collateral in a much larger fight.

Photo credit: Sedgwick County Sheriff, NBA, ESPN.