Durant Climbs to No. 6 All-Time: Passes Nowitzki, Second Among Active Players, Jordan Within Reach

On January 19, during the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ home game against the Pelicans, Kevin Durant scored his 17th point of the night, pushing his career total past Dirk Nowitzki’s 31,560 points. With that basket, Durant officially moved up to sixth place on the NBA’s all-time regular-season scoring list.

Earlier this month, Durant had already surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to enter the top seven. Now, he sits just over 700 points behind fifth-place Michael Jordan, who finished his career with 32,292 points. At Durant’s current scoring pace of 26.3 points per game, he would need fewer than 30 games to pass Jordan. If he remains healthy, reaching that milestone later this season appears well within reach.

Durant’s recent form has been outstanding. In nine games since the start of January, he has averaged 28.7 points per contest while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. Among active players, his career scoring total now trails only LeBron James, who sits atop the list with 42,703 points.

When he previously passed Chamberlain, Durant reflected on the moment by saying, “It’s a tremendous honor to be mentioned among legends. Wilt is someone I’ve always tried to model parts of my game after. He set the standard for NBA players, and I’m grateful to reach this level and be inspired by everything he accomplished.”

Now achieving another historic milestone on his home floor, Durant was once again met with thunderous applause. With each game, he continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen.