Houston Rockets superstar forward Kevin Durant pumped the brakes Friday on the idea of him possibly surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list one day.
NBA reporter Leigh Ellis asked KD the question and informed him that in order to accomplish the feat, he would have to average 25 points per game over the next 268 games he plays:
Durant expressed uncertainty over whether he can get it done and suggested that it isn’t necessarily something he is striving for.
“I never wanna say never, but those dudes set the bar so high,” Durant said. “I think about the top three or four, you gotta play at least 20 years in the league to even reach that, and still be at that level for 15 or 20 years. So I’m looking at it more so like that. Play long, play 20-plus years in the league and see where you end up. If I end up there it’s cool, if not, I just wanna be around and be in the league.”
Durant, 37, is in the midst of his 18th NBA season and his first as a member of the Rockets.
Despite his age, KD is averaging 26.5 points per game this season, and he has not averaged fewer than 25 points per game in a season since his rookie year in 2007-08.
A 15-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion, two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP and one-time NBA MVP, Durant is sixth on the all-time scoring list with 31,736 points, trailing only LeBron James, Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
While reaching James’ all-time record of 42,821 points doesn’t seem plausible, Durant is within more realistic striking distance of Kareem’s 38,387 points.
Of course, health will play a big role in whether KD can make it happen, and that has often been an issue for Durant over the past several years.
Durant did play in 75 games two seasons ago, though, and he has played in 44 of the Rockets’ 46 games so far this season, so it may not be outside the realm of possibility.
