Kevin Durant has low-key response to passing Michael Jordan on NBA scoring list

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant passed legend Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Saturday night.

But after the game, Durant wasn’t ready to acknowledge the depth of his accomplishment.

Instead, his first comment was about the four players still ahead of him on the scoring list. That would be LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.

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“I’ve got more to go,” Durant said with a slight smile after the Rockets’ thrilling 123-122 victory over the Miami Heat.

“But it is pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats. … A lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can.”

Durant, 37, hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to pass Jordan. He finished the game with 32,294 points, two more than Jordan. Next up for Durant is Bryant, who finished his career with 33,643 points.

After his initial comments, Durant addressed what an honor it is to pass Jordan, who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and is considered by many to be the best player in NBA history.

“MJ is in a world of his own,” he said. “He’s in a planet, a galaxy of his own and somebody that I look up to and respect and who basically shaped the game for me.”

The Rockets needed every one of Durant’s 27 points Saturday night. Amen Thompson tipped in a Durant miss at the buzzer to give Houston the victory over Miami. ESPN’s “SportsCenter” shared the game-winner on its X account.

Bam Adebayo turned in a monster night for the Heat, scoring 32 points and snagging 21 rebounds.

Durant was the No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft. The franchise moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder after Durant’s first season. He spent nine years with Seattle/OKC before joining the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won consecutive crowns in 2016-17 and 2017-18 with Durant.

During his 18-year career, Durant has averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

The Rockets stand 43-27 and in fourth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Houston visits Chicago at 8 p.m. ET Monday.