Kevin Durant Overtakes Michael Jordan for No. 5 Spot on NBA All-Time Scoring List
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HOUSTON — Kevin Durant moved past Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring chart Saturday night, finishing with 27 points in the Houston Rockets’ 123-122 win over the Miami Heat.
The 37-year-old forward buried a right-corner three-pointer with 4:48 remaining, giving him 32,294 career points—two more than Jordan’s total. Durant briefly raised his arms as the Toyota Center crowd erupted, and the Rockets immediately played a tribute video featuring highlights of both legends.
“Four more to go,” Durant said with a grin when asked about climbing the list. He later compared choosing a favorite Jordan moment to picking a single Drake song, saying, “They’re just all great.”
Durant had 21 points through three quarters before delivering the record-breaking shot. He missed a jumper in the final seconds, but rookie Amen Thompson tipped in the rebound for the victory. Thompson, 20, called Durant’s milestone “legendary,” adding, “Witnessing him break these records has been cool to watch.”
Head coach Ime Udoka paused postgame to underscore the achievement. “Passing Michael Jordan is obviously a huge accomplishment, and we celebrated that with him,” Udoka said.
Durant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft, has already passed Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (31,560) this season. Next on the list is Kobe Bryant at 33,643 points.
Now in his 19th NBA season—he sat out 2019-20 with an Achilles injury—Durant is in his first year with Houston following a summer trade from Phoenix. The 16-time All-Star owns two NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, four scoring titles, an MVP trophy from 2013-14, 11 All-NBA selections and four Olympic gold medals.
Durant said the significance of passing Jordan is “hard to take in when you’re still on the journey,” adding, “I’ve got to get up and come to work tomorrow.”
Source: ESPN
