It has been 17 years since Kevin Durant was selected second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics. In his 16th season, Durant has continuously proven to be one of the best scorers the game has ever seen.
Since averaging 20.3 points a game as a rookie, he has averaged over 25 over the ensuing 14+ seasons. Durant won three straight scoring titles spanning from the 2009-10 to 2011-12 seasons. He won his fourth scoring title in 2013-14, and in the season he won his lone MVP.
The 35-year-old doesn’t appear to be slowing down either. In his 50 games this season with the Phoenix Suns, he is averaging 28.1 points a contest which is currently fifth in the league.
NBA News: Kevin Durant Moves Up to 9th on All-Time Scoring List
Durant Passes Carmelo Anthony
Last night, the Suns fell to the Houston Rockets by a score of 114-110. Durant essentially put up his scoring average with 28 points on 10-22 shooting in the losing effort.
With that scoring effort, Durant has moved up to ninth on the all-time scoring list. He now has 28,296 points, surpassing Carmelo Anthony, who finished his career with 28,289.
Next up on the list is Shaquille O’Neal, who sits eighth with 28,596 career points. At his current seasonal average, it would take Durant just 11 more games to surpass the Hall of Fame center.
How Much Further Will He Move Up?
After he passes O’Neal, it will be a while before we see Durant move up any further. Here are the top seven scorers in league history and how far behind Durant is from all of them.
- LeBron James 39,898 (11,602 behind – James still active)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387 (10,091 back)
- Karl Malone 36,928 (8,632 back)
- Kobe Bryant 33,643 (5,347 back)
- Michael Jordan 32,292 (3,996 back)
- Dirk Nowitzki 31,560 (3,264 back)
- Wilt Chamberlain 31,419 (3,123 back)
So Durant likely won’t have a chance to move into the top seven of the scoring list until the 2025-26 season. While he has missed just seven games thus far in the season, he has missed much time with injury in recent years. He missed the entire 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles and appeared in 137 out of a possible 236 games in the three following seasons.
Remaining reasonably healthy and continuing to produce at an outstanding rate for a few more seasons could allow Durant to enter the top four on the all-time scoring list. Getting into the top three will surely be a challenge, but Durant will still be seen as one of the best scorers ever to play the game.
