Kevin Durant scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds in the Houston Rockets' win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. The veteran star's first season in Houston has gone quite well as his team sits sixth in the Western Conference as the NBA calendar nears the midway point. Rockets fans have watched Durant, now 37, continue to score whenever he pleases—to the tune of 26.1 points a game. Fans that aren't disguised as empty seats.
The X account "BrickCenter" posted a clip on X showing the sparse Toyota Center crowd during the opening minutes of Rockets-Bulls. "The Rockets have Kevin Durant and the seats are EMPTY," the user offered up to the marketplace of ideas. And the video evidence supports such a claim.
Durant, however, found time to offer some context after leading his team to its latest victory.
"We’re fashionably late down here champ," Durant wrote. "Check back round mid 2nd quarter and it’s a different picture. Been that way in Houston since I been in the League."
We’re fashionably late down here champ. Check back round mid 2nd quarter and it’s a different picture. Been that way in Houston since I been in the League https://t.co/T2Ytt6AaHp
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 14, 2026
Thankfully, the Rockets posted a highlight of a play that took place almost exactly halfway through the second quarter. It somewhat supports Durant's thesis that the crowd is just fashionably late, but there are still more than a few empty seats in the expensive section.
Alpi on the run ⛹️♂️💨 pic.twitter.com/2SjnYVAZSr
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 14, 2026
The official attendance for this game is listed at 18,055. Toyota Center holds 19,000, so the Rockets would have you believe that the arena was 95% full. Random people online would have you believe it was a ghost town in there. Durant wants to clarify that people tend to roll in when they're good and ready.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin Durant Explains Photo Showing All Those Empty Seats at Rockets Game.
