Houston–at night Kevin Durant Having passed Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring list, the 37-year-old star was already looking ahead.
“Four more to go,” he said, smiling.
Durant scored 27 points Houston Rockets‘ 123-122 overcome Miami Heat Saturday night to move on from Jordan.
Durant, the second pick in the 2007 draft, had 21 points entering the fourth quarter and made a 3-pointer with less than five minutes remaining before passing Jordan. Durant did the same on his next shot, knocking down another 3 from almost the same spot in the right corner to give him 32,294 points, two more than Jordan.
Durant briefly raised his arms in triumph after finishing the shot as the home crowd went wild.
He was asked if he had a favorite memory of Jordan or the best conversation he had with the superstar.
“No. That’s like asking me if I’ve got a favorite Drake song,” he said. “No, they’re all great. MJ has had a lot of great moments. He represents the godly level of iconic – just represents everything I believe in.”
Durant missed a shot that would have won the game for Houston in the final seconds, but Amen Thompson The mistake cost the Rockets a win.
Thompson, who was 4 when Durant was a rookie, is in awe of the veteran’s accomplishments.
“It’s legendary,” Thompson said. “To be on a team with such greatness, it’s definitely inspiring. And it’s great to see him break these records.”
The Rockets played a video commemorating the milestone just before the final game. It included some of Jordan’s top moments as well as Durant’s highlights as fans stood up to applaud him.
Durant had already surpassed Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (31,560) this season before moving ahead again Saturday. Next on the honor list is Kobe Bryant, who is in fourth place with 33,643 points.
“It’s an honor for everybody to be a part of this,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “And as KD has said in the past, I don’t think he cares too much about it at this point. He’s really focused on the season and what we’re trying to accomplish, but I don’t want to make it just an afterthought. Passing Michael Jordan is obviously a huge accomplishment, and we celebrated it with him.”
Durant is in his 19th year in the league, but he missed the 2019-20 season due to injury. He is in his first season in Houston after a blockbuster trade from Phoenix last summer.
The 16-time All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist is a four-time scoring champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He has two NBA titles, was the MVP in 2013–14 and is an 11-time All-NBA selection.
Durant said he has been inspired by everyone at the top of the scoring list and hopes to continue to inspire those who come after him. But it’s difficult for him to fully acknowledge what this achievement means to his career and legacy.
“It’s nice, but it’s hard to adapt when you’re still on the journey, when you care about getting better,” he said. “I never want to downplay things like this, but I have to get up and come to work tomorrow.”
