Kevin Durant Expresses Continued Admiration for Idol Michael Jordan After Surpassing Him on the Scoring List

Kevin Durant has surpassed Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list; the latest accomplishment on Durant’s extensive Hall-of-Fame resume. Durant currently has 32294 points to his name, just 2 points more than Jordan. Naturally, this would’ve been easy to allow this moment to flood his ego. Instead, Durant used the moment to praise Jordan for having inspired him.

Durant has been conscious of his placement on the all-time scoring list but doesn’t pay it too much mind. His main focus is on the Houston Rockets and leading the team to victory on a nightly basis. Thankfully, Durant’s historic moment came in the form of a win, as the Rockets survived against the Miami Heat thanks to an Amen Thompson game-winning tip-in.

The two-time champion finished the game with 27 points, shouldering the offensive burden as he does on most nights. After the game, he looked just as nonchalant as he has always been, while responding to questions about his new record.

“It is pretty sweet to be in the same category as the greats,” Durant said following the Rockets’ win. “A lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can. Contribute to the team in a positive way.”

“MJ is in a world of his own.”

KD on passing Michael Jordan for 5th on the all-time scoring list https://t.co/M5w4SOMFjb pic.twitter.com/avEfFixhEq

— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2026

Jordan has had such a profound impact on Durant that even now, he is still unable to fully consider himself worthy of being in that conversation. Despite how high he continues to climb up the all-time scoring rankings, he views Jordan as his own entity.

“Jordan is on a planet, a galaxy of his own,” Durant proclaimed. “That’s somebody I look up to and respect, who basically shaped the game up for me.”

It’s an amazing achievement, but it isn’t the most important thing on Durant’s list of goals for the rest of the season. Of course, the Houston Rockets’ playoff journey is priority number one.

Their win last night gave them a half-game boost over the Denver Nuggets for the fourth seed but one loss could drop them as far as the sixth seed. Houston will need more such high-scoring performances from Durant if they hope to go deep in the playoffs.