On a night when the Houston Rockets needed a last-second tip-in at the buzzer from Amen Thompson to take down the Miami Heat, their leader and superstar continued to climb the record books with his latest achievement.
Kevin Durant surpassed Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan on the NBA‘s all-time scoring list. Durant scored 27 points in the win, and his final bucket in the fourth quarter allowed him to jump Jordan on the list, making him the fifth-highest scorer in NBA history.
Jordan had 32,293 points in his illustrious 15-year career. Durant now has one point more, but passed Jordan during his 18th season in the league. Durant is one of two players inside the top-5 of the list who is still active. The other is LeBron James, who currently tops the list with 43,241 points and counting. James Harden of the Cavaliers also checks in at No. 9 all-time with 29,160.
The achievement obviously meant something to Durant, who discussed the moment with the media after the game. When asked about the moment, he kept his comments short and to the point.
“Four more to go,” Durant said with a smirk.
“MJ has so many great moments. He just personifies iconic god-level. Just everything that I believe in, he personifies.”
Durant has bounced around during his long career, hoping to chase another championship ring. After being the second-overall pick in 2007 and spending his first nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle Supersonics, he infamously left to join the Golden State Warriors, where he won two titles in three years. Since then, he has spent time in Brooklyn, Phoenix and now is in his first season in Houston.
It could prove to be a difficult challenge for Durant to climb higher on the list. He trails James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant. Bryant, the closest to Durant on the list, finished his career with 33,643 points in 20 seasons. Durant will need another 1,351 points to pass the five-time champion.