Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant eclipsed another NBA Hall of Famer in Houston’s 119-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Durant recorded 18 points in 36 minutes, with his final two free throws in the last 15 seconds helping him surpass one of the NBA’s greatest.
Kevin Durant Flies by German Legend
The two-time NBA champion secured sixth spot in the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. The German great recorded 31,560 points over his 21-year NBA career, winning the 2011 NBA championship, the Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and 14 All-Star selections.
Durant now has 31,562Â and moves closer to potentially surpassing the NBA’s greatest to ever do it.
Speaking postgame, Durant said, “To be up there with Dirk, somebody I looked up to, I idolized, I competed against, we had some great battles. He always was supportive of my career and my game. So, you know, to be up there with a legend like that, it’s just insane. And be right under Michael Jordan, it’s crazy, man.”
NBA icon Jordan scored 32,292 points in his storied career, winning six NBA championships, five MVPs, and six Finals MVPs.
Durant needs to score 731 points to pass Jordan, moving him into the legendary top five with LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant.
The Rockets star is still one of the NBA’s leading scorers, despite playing in the twilight of his career. He’s averaging 26.3 points (12th in the NBA), 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, holding the Rockets in fifth place in the Western Conference.
If Durant continues to average around 26 points per game, it will take him another 27 games to surpass Jordan.
The Rockets face the Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back games on March 16 and March 18, the two games in which he will be expected to pass Jordan if he keeps up his average.
It would be fitting for Durant to surpass Jordan while playing against James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, to then have his sights on Laker legend Kobe Bryant in fourth.
After passing Nowitzki in last night’s encounter, the German legend left a special message for Durant that played on the video board. “Like I said, he’s one of the purest scorers this game has ever seen. And so, congrats, KD, keep it going. Move up a couple more spots and keep it up.”
How many places can he move up? Bryant has 33,643 points and is very much attainable for the 37-year-old scoring wizard.
Malone and above is where it gets tricky for Durant, with the ‘Mail Man’ posting 3,000 more points than Bryant with 36,928.
Nevertheless, Durant’s current points tally and NBA career have assured that he will go down as one of the most incredible offensive players in NBA history.
