Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün & The Rockets Starting 5 Discuss Championship Hopes
Sports Illustrated sat down with Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason for revealing interviews about what’s to come for the Houston Rockets in the 2025–26 season and how the team plans to rebound from their playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors.
In this exclusive feature, the Rockets’ starting five reflect on last year’s Game 7 heartbreak, share how they reacted to the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade, and open up about their goals for the season ahead. From Şengün’s EuroBasket battle with Nikola Jokić to Amen Thompson’s breakout postseason and Jabari Smith Jr.’s offseason work, the team gives fans a candid look at Houston’s chemistry, leadership, and championship ambitions under Coach Ime Udoka.
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00:00 – Cold Open – The Rockets speak on chasing a championship
00:41 – Sengun, Amen Thompson & Tari Eason reflect on losing to the Warriors in Game 7
01:08 – Sengun, Amen, Tari Eason & Jabari Smith Jr break down the Rockets–Warriors rivalry
02:07 – Sengun, Amen & the starters reveal how they each found out Kevin Durant was joining Houston
03:13 – Kevin Durant speaks on returning to Texas and joining a young core
04:14 – Şengün speaks on his offseason battle with Jokić in eurobasket
04:25 – Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. speak on working on their games in the off-season
05:12 – The team reacts to losing Fred Vanvleet to ACL injury
06:37 – The Rockets speak on Coach Udoka and his coaching style
07:19 – The Rockets starters define their roles and speak on setting championship goals
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Executive Producer: Alex Tzavalas
Director / Producer: Greg Cally
Cinematographer: Snyder Derival
Editor / GFX / Colorist: Ori Galis
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Sports Illustrated offers sports fans trusted, authentic, agenda-free reporting and storytelling featuring sports news, scores, photos, columns and expert analysis from the latest in today’s world of sports including NFL, NBA, MLB, college basketball, college football, soccer, golf, NHL, tennis and fantasy.
19 Comments
Dope concept to have the team preview the season themselves.
Seeing videos of Durant sitting down and talking always reminds me and confirms to me that he’s a terrible leader. If I’m Houston I’m doing that trade for KD but losing my two other leaders in FVV and DB leaves such a wide hole in the leadership department…
This reminds me of the 90s when they did these and thennyou could buy the tapes and DVDs at the end of the season.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Dope vid and interview.
KD is my guy man I had the privelage to see him play 3 times courtside once on the Nets and twice on the Suns.
I can't wait until this season starts.
Sending prayers and blessings to DFS & FVV on their surgeries and rehabs.
Wishing the Rockets a great, healthy and prosperous season/year.
Let's go Rockets!!!
If FVV were playing this season, this would look like the trailer for a championship.
I guess this means tari is starter 5
These guys are champions
Yessir 🚀🚀
Not one mention of Reed Sheppard and you even left him out of your title…This is so SI to drop the ball.
Otherwise, I loved the video…Rockets are going to be the team to watch this season. BTW, Stone's comment of being a young team and looking to contend for the long-term is an incite to Stone not going to trade away the young core or their future draft assets for a short-term shot at the title.
KD & CC (for the next 3-seasons) were well worth moving on from JG, DB and a #10 pick… FYI, Stone is NOT going to trade for a guard to replace FVV…the roster is set for this season.
I am so tired of all the trade rumors that have been swirling around the Rockets. Year after year…it gets so old and boring. TY SI for not going down that path.
2:38 you know he is lying because It's idiotic that they traded green and brooks instead of trading FVV and tari or instead of just running a motion offense. Which they were clearly the best team in the league at playing that way with the group of green, alpi, jabari, and amen.
Udoka's refusal to run a real offensive system is what held them back. Now if they try using fvv's injury as another excuse for udoka's offensive incompetence. It will just keep prolonging the acknowledgement of udoka's biggest flaw, and what he needs to work on for this team to actually be championship contenders. His offense, because that is something udoka has been bad it since Boston.
The starting 5 should be Amen Tari KD Bari Alpi.
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS FRIED PEOPLES BRAINS
At 7:45 Jabari sayin Coach Ime write checks that the players gotta cash 😂
Thanks for this video!
A Rockets chip with KD would be so special.
sky Rockets in flight
Lmao Tari Eason "Shit! am I still on the team?!" after finding out KD got traded to Houston
Lets go Tari, 6th man of the year incoming
Proud of of you man!
love jabari's confidence saying he thinks he can be the go-to scorer. he looks like a new man out there, physically and mentally