Kevin Durant is on track to surpass Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during the 2025-26 season, a milestone that highlights his continued excellence in scoring. Michael Jordan, who retired with 32,292 career points and once ranked third all-time, now sits fifth and could soon be overtaken by Durant if the latter maintains a strong performance.
At 36 years old, Durant has steadily climbed the scoring ranks. Starting the 2024-25 season in 10th place, he moved up to eighth by outscoring legends like Moses Malone and Julius Irving, tallying 1,647 regular season points for the Phoenix Suns. With a healthy season ahead, Durant aims to eclipse even more historic players.
Durant currently has 30,571 points, trailing Wilt Chamberlain by less than 900 points and Dirk Nowitzki by about 1,000. If he keeps up an average of 25 points per game next season—just two points below his career norm—he could surpass both in approximately 40 games.
The pressing question remains whether Durant will also overtake Michael Jordan in the same season.
The Scoring Gap Between Durant and Michael Jordan
Durant is roughly 1,721 points behind Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list. To close that gap, maintaining a 25-point-per-game average would require playing about 69 games, a plausible target for a healthy Durant. Despite battling injuries last season, he appeared in 62 games for Phoenix and played 75 contests the prior season.
These numbers represent rare endurance periods, as Durant had not played over 60 games in a season since his time with the Golden State Warriors. Injury management and playing time will heavily influence his chances of surpassing Jordan.
New Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant underwent thumb surgery this offseason, NBA sources tell @PaperCityMag. The surgery is considered minor and a source tells PaperCity that the Rockets leadership “did not give it a second thought” after their doctors looked at it. Full story… pic.twitter.com/xONt6pUK5A
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) July 14, 2025
Durant’s offseason thumb surgery has been reported as a minor procedure, with Houston Rockets officials expressing no major concerns once the medical team evaluated it. This suggests Durant should be fit and ready for the season ahead.
Durant’s New Role and Future Milestones
Now with the Houston Rockets, Durant is expected to be the centerpiece of the team’s offensive strategy. The Rockets finished second in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 season but revealed weaknesses in clutch scoring throughout the playoffs. By acquiring Durant in a high-profile trade, they have strengthened their go-to scoring options.
Given his role as the primary scorer, Durant’s average of 25 points per game might actually be conservative, indicating the potential for even greater scoring outputs.
If Durant surpasses Jordan next season, his next target will be Kobe Bryant, positioning him to climb further up the all-time scoring list in subsequent years.