NBA

Where Will Kevin Durant Finish On All-Time Scoring List?

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Vivek Jacob
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Vivek Jacob Sports Editor

Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.

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Sports Editor

Updated13 Feb 2025

Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns.

Kevin Durant recently joined esteemed company by becoming the eighth player on the all-time scoring list to reach the 30,000 point mark.

It’s a moment to appreciate for all basketball fans as the only other active player to have hit that mark is LeBron James. James Harden (13th overall) is the next closest with 26,949 and Russell Westbrook after that with 25,834 (21st overall). In case you’re wondering, Steph Curry has 24,719 with DeMar DeRozan not too far behind at 24,657.

Durant will head into the All-Star break with 30,045 points, to be exact, 1,374 points behind Wilt Chamberlain in seventh place.

In such rarified air, it’s hard not to wonder where he might eventually finish.

The Mathematical Answer

An important factor in all this is the fact that Durant became the third-fastest player to the 30,000 point mark, behind only Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. The buckets come easy so health is a key factor.

Durant has played 41 of 54 games this season which puts him on course to finish with 62.

Averaging 27.3 points per game on the season, it puts him on course to add another 573 points to his end of season tally.

If he were to play another two seasons and average 60 games played per season, Durant should add approximately 3,000 points to his tally.

Adding that total of 3,573 to his current 30,045 total and he’d pass Chamberlain, Dirk Nowitzki, and Jordan. He’d also be within striking distance of fourth-place Kobe Bryant’s 33,643 or pass him, too.

You heard it here first. Durant possibly passing Bryant for fourth place on the all-time scoring list in the 2026-27 season. Actually, you may have heard it from Bryant himself:

What about beyond fourth?

Karl Malone is in third place with 36,928 points and that currently looks a long way away.

That will require Durant to play at least through the 2028-29 season. He’ll also have to maintain his excellent scoring rate and an average of 60 games per season. That’s a big ask of someone who had a ruptured Achilles in 2019 and a Jones fracture in the 2014-15 season. He would be 40-years-old if he played the ’28-29 season.

Difficult and unlikely, but not impossible.

Is there a path to Durant finishing second to LeBron James on the all-time scoring list?

Well, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is currently second to James’ 41,641 with 38,387. That currently puts Durant 8,342 points behind. Even at an average of 25 points per game, Durant would need to play another 334 games to hit that mark. At 60 games per season, that would require playing at least six more seasons.

As things stand, one would have to say Abdul-Jabbar and James are safe.

The Intuitive Answer

Durant is a hooper. He absolutely loves the game of basketball so it’s not implausible to envision him sticking around for as long as he’s physically able.

It’s a modern day science miracle that Durant has recovered so well from a ruptured Achilles. There was going to be a natural period of easing his way back and we saw that with 35, 55, and 47 games played, respectively, from ’20-21 to ’22-23.

Playing 75 games last season and now being on course for 62 on the back of those seasons probably gets taken for granted.

That being said, expecting him to maintain or stay close to that level of availability and performance as he moves closer to 40-years-old is probably unwise.

Durant should pass Chamberlain and Nowitzki next season. He will likely be motivated by the significance of passing Jordan and Bryant as well. They should be within striking distance by the end of next season.

The smart money and logic is on Durant finishing fourth on the all-time scoring list.