Kevin Durant is now fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list, surpassing Michael Jordan. However, Durant himself has downplayed this accomplishment compared to what Jordan has done and what Jordan means to the game of basketball.
Kevin Durant Says Michael Jordan’s Legacy Is Bigger Than Just the Stats
On Saturday, Durant led the Houston Rockets to a narrow 123-122 victory over the Miami Heat. In that game, he led his team in scoring with 27 points on a 9-of-17 shooting clip (5-of-9 from the 3-point line).
Beyond just helping his team secure a hard-fought win, the 37-year-old star also reached a milestone that allowed him to surpass Jordan’s career total in points. The Rockets’ star now has 32,294 regular-season points, which is two more than what Jordan finished his career with.
However, Durant believes that Jordan’s impact on the game is far greater, regardless of who surpasses him stats-wise.
Durant shared these thoughts in an interview with ‘Boardroom,’ wherein he claimed that Jordan has no equal, not just in basketball but in any other sport. He also said that even his latest milestone is dwarfed by what Jordan accomplished throughout his career.
“MJ is just bigger than the game. I mean no matter who passes him in stats or who wins more, it’s going to be hard to win,” Durant said. “Even if you were to pass him in anything, just his impact on the sport and just culture in general is just too big.”
Kevin Durant says it’s bigger then stats with Michael Jordan:
“MJ is just bigger than the game. I mean, no matter who passes him in stats or who wins more, it’s going to be hard to win. Go 6-0. Even if you were to pass him in anything, just his impact on the sport and just… pic.twitter.com/DxE9ZRAM35
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 22, 2026
When Durant was asked during the postgame press conference about what he felt after surpassing Jordan, the Rockets star’s response indicated he was gunning for more milestones.
The next person above Durant on the all-time scoring leaders list is a player comparable to Jordan himself, Kobe Bryant. Bryant concluded his career with 33,643 regular-season points. With only 1,349 points between the two, Durant may very well overtake Bryant by next season.
As one of the league’s most prolific scorers, Durant is capable of scoring well over 1500 points a season. In fact, he easily surpassed that mark in the last two seasons.
In 2023-24, he finished the season with 2,032. Last season, he had 1,647. This year, he already has 1,723. With 12 more games left on the Rockets’ schedule, Durant could likely finish this year with over 2000 points as well.
