On Sunday night, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant scored his 32,293rd career point against the Miami Heat, passing Michael Jordan — widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time — for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
He got there in the fourth quarter, with a clutch 3-pointer from the corner.
In a season — and career — that has been marked by consistency and ascension, Durant has now climbed past Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki on the scoring charts, and now sits behind Kobe Bryant, who currently resides in fourth with 33,643 points.
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Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Durant’s Hall of Fame career — one that has spanned nearly two decades and five NBA franchises — is the sheer efficiency in which he has operated under, especially considering the major injuries he’s sustained since entering the league in 2007. Durant has suffered from a Jones fracture, torn Achilles, MCL sprains and ankle issues over the years. He’s finished with less than 65 games played in a regular season seven times, and missed an entire campaign altogether, yet has still scored at a steady enough rate to place him atop basketball’s pantheon of offensive juggernauts.
Kevin Durant, scoring machine
According to Stathead, of the players who have amassed 20,000 or more points for their career, Durant’s .621 true shooting percentage ranks second all time. There is also no player in basketball history with more than 10 career games played (Durant has played 1,188) who boasts his shooting splits from the field, 3-point line and free-throw line (.503/.391/.882).
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History will remember Durant as one of the most unorthodox, unique forces of all time, a 6-foot-11 forward with the court vision and ball-handling of a premier point guard, the athleticism of a wing and the length of a center. In every year, his high usage rate has not detracted from the collective’s success, with his teams performing better with him on the floor for 17 straight seasons.
This season, Durant is averaging 25.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, an impressive feat for a 37-year-old essentially dragging an inconsistent Rockets team upon his shoulders.
Durant’s career isn’t without its detractors, a subset of basketball fans who will point to his various stops in search of titles compared to some of his peers — or some of his social media activity. But there is no debate, regardless of where you stand on the aisle, that Durant has achieved monumental success in the NBA.
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He’s been an All-Star 16 times. He’s made an All-NBA team 11 times. He’s won the scoring title four times, and he’s been the league and Finals MVP. Plus, he has two titles to boot. Those who have played with him, whether in Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn, Phoenix or Houston, will attest to his accomplishments. Even those that have played against him. Especially those that have played against him.
“Every version,” LeBron James recently said of the hardest version of Durant he’s had to guard. “He continues to get better and better. Him in Golden State was super dynamic because you couldn’t put multiple bodies in front of him because of the threat of Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry] at all times. Also his time in Brooklyn, a smaller sample, but anytime you can’t put bodies in front of a great like that with the ability to score the ball, it’s very challenging. We had our battles in the Finals, too. He’s never not been great at basketball. So every version.”