{"id":162731,"date":"2025-10-14T07:15:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T11:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=162731"},"modified":"2025-10-14T07:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T11:05:13","slug":"kevin-durant-scoring-chase-michael-jordan-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/14\/kevin-durant-scoring-chase-michael-jordan-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Durant Eyes Historic Milestone with Rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kevin Durant<\/a> scoring chase has officially entered historic territory. After joining the Houston Rockets in one of the most shocking offseason moves in years, the future Hall of Famer is not just aiming another deep playoff run: he\u2019s chasing immortality.<\/p>\n

With 30,571 career points, Durant stands eighth on the NBA\u2019s all-time scoring list. Only seven players have ever scored more, and a few of the players that list \u2014Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> (31,419), Dirk Nowitzki<\/a> (31,560), and Michael Jordan<\/a> (32,292) \u2014are within reach. If Durant maintains his career scoring average (27.2 points per game) and stays healthy, he could pass all three by the end of the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant Eyes Historic Scoring Milestone With Rockets<\/h2>\n

Even at 37 years old, Durant\u2019s production remains elite.<\/p>\n

Last season, with the Phoenix Suns, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 52.7% from the field and 43.0% from deep. He remains one of the league\u2019s most efficient scorers, combining footwork, shot variety, and spacing instincts that few players in history have matched.<\/p>\n

Now in Houston, Durant will be expanding his role. Rockets head Ime Udoka has empowered him to be the hybrid forward and secondary playmaker that they sorely lacked<\/a> last season. In this offense, Durant doesn\u2019t need to force shots. Instead, he creates balance, manipulating defenses and opening space for the next generation<\/a>: rising stars Alperen Sengun<\/a> and Amen Thompson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Udoka has described Durant as a stabilizing presence \u2014 a player who makes young teammates better simply by commanding respect. That dynamic has already been visible in the preseason, where Houston\u2019s offense has looked more fluid and disciplined than in recent years. Though his numbers will shape history, his leadership is shaping the present.<\/p>\n

Passing Jordan and Redefining Legacy<\/h3>\n

Durant\u2019s climb towards Jordan carries more meaning than just statistics. Jordan\u2019s 32,292 career points once seemed untouchable, a testament to consistency and dominance. For Durant to surpass him, he\u2019ll need to score 1,721 points, the equivalent of averaging 21.0 points per game across 82 contests.<\/p>\n

\"Oct
Oct 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) brings the ball up the court during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If achieved, Durant would rise to fifth place all-time, trailing only LeBron James<\/a>, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<\/a>, Karl Malone<\/a>, and Kobe Bryant<\/a>. It would cement his reputation as not just a generational scorer but one of the most durable and productive players in NBA history.<\/p>\n

Durant\u2019s career hasn\u2019t been without adversity (two major injuries, team changes, and constant scrutiny) but what\u2019s defined him most is longevity. The fact that, nearly two decades into his career, he\u2019s still averaging All-NBA numbers speaks volumes. Surpassing Jordan would symbolize greatness and endurance.<\/p>\n

What It Means for Houston<\/h3>\n

For the Rockets, Durant\u2019s presence represents a cultural shift. A franchise that spent years developing youth now has a living legend guiding the transition into contention. Sengun has called Durant \u201ca master of patience\u201d, while Thompson recently told reporters<\/a> (h\/t Reddit) that \u201cKD makes everything feel easier: reads, spacing, even confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rockets\u2019 fan base has also embraced the moment. Toyota Center ticket sales have climbed since the trade<\/a>, and league broadcasts featuring Houston have seen higher viewership. But beyond marketing, there\u2019s a basketball transformation underway; a belief that this roster, anchored by Durant\u2019s experience and the youth\u2019s hunger, can compete with the West\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

If Durant passes Jordan while wearing Rockets red, it will mark one of the most memorable milestones in franchise history, a moment that bridges the team\u2019s promising future with one of the game\u2019s timeless legends.<\/p>\n

Last Word On The Road Ahead<\/h3>\n

Assuming good health, Durant could reach Jordan\u2019s mark by late March 2026, possibly during a home stand that includes games against the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies. Whether or not that night happens in Houston, it\u2019s destined to be a global NBA event; the moment a 37-year-old forward defied time, critics, and expectation.<\/p>\n

Again, the Durant scoring chase isn\u2019t just about numbers on a scoreboard. It\u2019s about mastery over time, a player rewriting history one jumper at a time, and a city ready to witness it all.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kevin Durant scoring chase has officially entered historic territory. After joining the Houston Rockets in one of the most shocking offseason moves in years, the future Hall of Famer is not just aiming another deep playoff run: he\u2019s chasing immortality. With 30,571 career points, Durant stands eighth on the NBA\u2019s all-time scoring list. Only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5653,"featured_media":162757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,8,2,62,3],"tags":[69,607,49749],"class_list":["post-162731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-bulls","category-featured","category-nba","category-news","tag-kevin-durant","tag-michael-jordan","tag-nba-record"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162731"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162758,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162731\/revisions\/162758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}