Kevin Durant passed the great Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list during the Houston Rockets‘ 123-122 win over the Miami Heat at Toyota Center on Saturday. Durant just about got the job done late in the fourth quarter and was asked about his latest incredible accomplishment in his postgame press conference.
“I got more to go,” Durant said. “Got more to go, baby. But it is pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats. I mean, like I’ve said, a lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can and contribute to a team in a positive way. So, I’ve been inspired by all of these players that I’m either coming close to or passing up, and MJ is in a world of his own.
“He’s in a planet, a galaxy of his own, as somebody that I look up to, respect, and who basically shaped the game for me,” Durant continued. “So, grateful for everybody that invested in me. All my friends, family, teammates, coaches, I couldn’t be here without them.”
Durant needed 26 points coming into this game against the Heat and got to 27 with a three-pointer from the corner off a Reed Sheppard assist. Here is that play which he’ll probably remember for the rest of his life.
🚨 KD PASSES MJ 🚨
With this three, Kevin Durant passes Michael Jordan for 5th on the all-time SCORING list! pic.twitter.com/byqx3AFLer
— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2026
Durant now has 32,294 points to his name, compared to 32,292 for Jordan. The 37-year-old was asked here if he had a favorite memory of the Chicago Bulls icon, and he couldn’t pick one for a very simple reason.
“MJ has so many great moments that it’s hard to pick one,” Durant stated. “He just personifies iconic god-level. Just everything that I believe in, he personifies. And it’s kind of crazy passing him up because he’s meant so much to the game. But like I said before, he left a few, I want to say a thousand or so points on the table, too, with the amount of games he missed.
“So, for him to be up this high at 32,000 points and I think 14, 15 seasons, that shows his dominance and his longevity, and he scored points quickly,” Durant added. “So, he set the bar high, and it’s pretty cool to reach that bar. And I want to keep inspiring people that’s coming behind me as well, but I want to keep it going.”
Jordan only played 1,072 games in his career, the fewest by a fair bit among anyone in the top six. It took Durant 1,190 games to pass him, and it is quite remarkable that he is as high as he is. Jordan’s career scoring average of 30.1 points per game remains the highest in NBA history, and there is a reason why he is still considered the greatest scorer ever.
Durant is in that conversation too, of course. The 16-time All-Star might be the most complete scorer ever, as he can put the ball in the basket from just about anywhere on the court. While Durant is proud of cracking the top five, his focus is on helping the Rockets win.
“It’s definitely cool,” Durant said. “I mean, it’s hard to take in when you’re still on the journey, and you still care about getting better. I mean, I don’t ever want to downplay stuff like that, but I got to get up and come to work tomorrow. We got a road trip coming up and playoffs right around the corner. So I want to focus on that.
“So maybe after the season, I’ll reflect on what we’ve done this year,” Durant added. “But for now, it’s cool for tonight, and we move on tomorrow.”
To go with the 27 points, Durant had three rebounds and three assists against the Heat. The Rockets improved to 43-27 with the win and will take on the Bulls next at the United Center on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
