Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers the NBA has seen. Durant has been an elite scorer since he was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 2007, and he has not shown signs of slowing down. Despite playing in his 18th season in the league, the Rockets’ star remains reliable on the offensive end. KD had a career milestone on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Durant scored 18 points for the Rockets to beat the Pelicans, 119-110. That was enough for him to surpass former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki in the league’s all-time scoring list. The two-time champion now has 31,562 points and has secured the No. 6 spot in the list.
When asked about his accomplishment after the game, he expressed gratitude to those who helped shape him into the player he is today.
“It means a great deal to be around the league this long,” Durant said. “It takes for you to play 1,000 plus games for you to be in this category, at least.
“Grateful for all the people that helped me play this many games. Coaches, friends, family invested in my game… Without them, without the village, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t do anything on my own.
Kevin Durant on passing Dirk Nowitzki and moving into 6th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list: pic.twitter.com/2V3ZNtMEfs
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 19, 2026
“To be up there with Dirk, somebody I look up to, I’ve idolized, competed against. We’ve had some great battles,” he added. “He’s always supportive of my career and my game. To be up there with a legend, it’s just insane.”
Who’s the next NBA legend Kevin Durant can surpass?
While he’s at the No. 6 spot now, Kevin Durant’s next target is former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. The NBA great had 32,292 points during his career. According to The Athetic’s Will Guillory, Durant could surpass the Bulls legend this season.
Guillory posted on X and pointed out that if Durant averages at least 25 points through 29 games, he could take over the No. 5 spot. The Rockets have 42 games left in the season, and KD only needs 731 points to have another scoring milestone.
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