The internet is in a tizzy over the idea that Kevin Durant uses fake accounts to defend himself on Twitter, but that story is nothing compared to his private Instagram account that was unearthed in the wake of the Twitter conspiracy.
Is Kevin Durant using this private Instagram account to argue with kids?
Forget Kevin Durant’s Twitter, the real drama is happening on Instagram.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Several users on Reddit began questioning the possibility of Durant defending himself with a hidden account on Instagram. It begins with this photo, posted by KD’s brother, who tagged Durant with the account “quiresultan.”
The account is private, but it’s followed by numerous NBA players, Durant’s stylist and Big Sean — well-known friend of Durant. There are other hints too that this is really the hidden Instagram account of the Warriors’ star.
The profile picture is from Goodfellas, a movie Durant has referred to as being one of his personal favorite movies. The phrase “No live ball turnovers” is likely referring to Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, where the Warriors scored 17 points off live-ball turnovers in a game that set the tone for Durant’s NBA Finals MVP run.
Finally there’s the name, “quiresultan.” Quire Avenue and Sultan Avenue are both streets in Durant’s home town of Capitol Heights, Maryland.
So what’s the big deal? Lots of people have personal Instagram accounts.
This is true, though people don’t usually use those private accounts to argue with fans about their real life, just as Durant has been accused of doing on Twitter. There’s a long history of him getting into comment beef with anyone, young or old, who has talked crap about Durant.
These comments were all on another post relating to Kevin Durant, also posted by his brother.
To cap it off, shortly after news spread that @quiresultan was Durant’s private account he deleted the profile picture and changed the account’s name.
Now called “shanghainoon12345,” the account is still active and has the same follower count. The original photo by Durant’s brother is still tagging @quiresultan, but Instagram shows that account as deactivated.
Initially it was our reaction to assume the late-night tweets from Durant’s account that defended him in the third person were a Twitter snafu by an assistant — but based on his hidden Instagram history it’s entirely possible the Warriors’ star does spend his free time arguing with people incognito.
What a world.
UPDATE: On Tuesday Durant apologized for the incidents surrounding his social media accounts.
Tim Cato of SB Nation.com contributed to this report.
