Kevin Durant isn’t just chasing wins anymore—he’s chasing immortality. In the Rockets’ 119-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant quietly made history. His 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists pushed him past Dirk Nowitzki into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing the Mavericks legend’s 31,560 career points.

Now, only 730 points separate the 37-year-old from basketball’s Mount Rushmore. Michael Jordan sits in fifth with 32,292 points—a target that once seemed untouchable but now feels inevitable for Slim Reaper.

At 18 seasons deep and still playing at an elite level, Durant has more than enough fuel in the tank. The question isn’t if he’ll crack the top five—it’s when.

KD reached the mark with a pair of free throws with less than 15  seconds remaining in the game, bringing his career total to 31,562 points. After the milestone, he said he plans to play, “As long as I can.” Well into his 40s, if he can, which could put him in the top 5 of NBA history’s elite scorers.

Durant is currently averaging 26.0 per contest in the 2025-26 season. If he keeps it up, he’d be on pace to potentially bridge that gap very early into the next season. Maybe earlier if the Rockets make a deep run this season.

The achievement comes only a week after he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain in the seventh spot.

He’s breezed past Dirk Nowitzki. And the rarified air that Michael Jordan has breathed for two decades is within reach.

A rival is hoping for Kevin Durant to beat Michael Jordan

If anyone imagined what it would look like if Dirk Nowitzki were on the screen of the Rockets arena, Toyota Center, it would be for this exact historic moment.

It seems like the Rockets were prepared when KD surpassed Chamberlain earlier. They reached out to the franchise legend of their in-state rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, to prepare a special message for Kevin Durant.

Top Stories

Kobe Bryant’s Ex-Teammate Arrested Over DUI Charges

NBC Pulls Plug on Michael Jordan Plans After Contradictions Over $40M Payday

NFL Deepens Hesitation Around Unrivaled’s Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Connection – Report

Prayers Go Up for Jimmy Butler as Warriors Fans Panic After His Sudden Absence vs Hornets

WNBA Fans Push Back on Natasha Cloud After Unrivaled Backup Plan Comments

As expected, Nowitzki was “Not super happy about him passing me.” But he had a glowing review for his rival from their Western Conference Finals days.

“To me, he is one of the purest, smoothest scorers the game has ever seen. A seven-footer, basically, which he says he’s not. I think he’s a seven-footer with really a two-guard’s game. The shot making, the off-the-dribble stuff, the off-balance stuff… I mean, there’s really nothing you can do to stop him one-on-one. He can always get a great shot up. That’s just how skilled he is, how long he is, how good his release is, and so it’s been incredible to watch his career. Like I said, he’s one of the purest scorers this game has ever seen. And so congrats KD.”

When Kevin Durant surpassed Dirk Nowitzki on the all-time scoring list, it marked the passing of the torch between two players who revolutionized the same position in different eras.

Their playoff battles tell part of the story—14 head-to-head games across three series, with Durant holding a 9-5 edge. But their true connection runs deeper than the box score.

Both big men turned the mid-range into an art form, using their towering frames and silky touch to create shots that defied defensive logic.

Nowitzki was the pioneer. His signature one-legged fadeaway from the elbow became the most unguardable shot of the 2000s—a physics-defying move that combined German engineering with Dallas grit.

Durant studied that blueprint and evolved it. He kept the fadeaway but added his own wrinkles: quicker releases, smoother pull-ups, and the versatility to strike from anywhere on the floor.

The student borrowed from the master’s footwork in the post, integrating those subtle pivots and shoulder fakes into his own arsenal.

As defenses adapted to stop their mid-range mastery, both players proved the same truth: when you’re 7 feet tall with a guard’s skill set, scheme doesn’t matter. Greatness finds a way.

Dirk has sat below Michael Jordan in the scoring list since retiring in 2021. Now even he’s hyping KD to beat His Airness when he concluded his message with, “Keep it going, move up a couple more spots and keep it up. Good luck.”

For KD, this is extra meaningful. He’s idolized the Dunking Deutschman for years as an elite scoring big man. He’s been gunning to surpass his record for a long time.

Durant tied Nowitzki in the most apt fashion, a smooth fadeaway from the foul line with 1:05 left in the game. It not only gave the Rockets a 116-102 lead but also through Nowitzki’s signature fadeaway.

With Durant on contract to play through the 2027-28 season with the Rockets, he could be surpassing Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone easily soon too.