HOUSTON – In his 18th NBA season, Kevin Durant continues to etch his name deeper into the history books. With a career total of 31,681 points, the 37-year-old star currently ranks as the league’s sixth-highest scorer of all time.
LeBron James holds the all-time scoring record with 42,810 points — a mark that remains nearly out of reach. Based on Durant’s career average of 27.2 points per game, it would take him roughly 412 games (about 5–6 more seasons at his current pace) to catch James.
When NBA reporter Leigh Ellis asked Durant about the possibility of overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (second all-time with 38,387 points), Durant responded with humility:
“Nobody is going to catch [LeBron James]… I never wanna say never, but those dudes set the bar so high. I think about the top three or four, you gotta play at least 20 years in the league to even reach that…. If I end up there it’s cool, if not, I just wanna be around and be in the league.”
Durant’s Current Form Last summer, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster seven-team deal. In October, he signed a two-year, $90 million extension with a player option for the 2027-28 season.
This season, through 44 games, Durant is averaging:
26.5 points5.4 rebounds4.5 assists
He has put together a strong case for Western Conference All-Star reserve consideration. The Rockets currently sit fourth in the Western Conference at 29-17, winners of 7 of their last 10 games.
Path to No. 5 All-Time If Durant maintains his current scoring pace, he is on track to surpass Michael Jordan (32,292 points) for fifth place on the all-time list either later this season or early next season. Reaching that milestone at age 37 would be a remarkable achievement, especially while playing for a Rockets team showing real championship aspirations.
Rockets Nation – what do you think?
Can Durant realistically pass Jordan this season?How many more years do you think he’ll play to keep climbing the list?Can the Rockets win a title with Durant at this stage of his career?