Durant passes Jordan for 5th on NBA's all-time scoring list
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan for fifth on the NBA's all-time regular-season scoring leaderboard in Saturday's 123-122 win over the Miami Heat.
Durant, a 16-time All-Star, vaulted Jordan with a three from the corner off a pass from Reed Sheppard. The field goal, his ninth of the contest and fifth from deep, helped Houston extend a late fourth-quarter lead over the Heat.
Kevin Durant corner 3, assisted by Reed Sheppard! pic.twitter.com/Q3XXChqg4d
— Rockets Clips (@Rockets_Clips) March 22, 2026
| Rank | Player | Points | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James* | 43241 | 1612 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38387 | 1560 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36928 | 1476 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33643 | 1346 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant* | 32294 | 1190 |
| 6 | Michael Jordan | 32292 | 1072 |
| 7 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31560 | 1522 |
| 8 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31419 | 1045 |
| 9 | James Harden* | 29160 | 1212 |
| 10 | Shaquille O'Neal | 28596 | 1207 |
*Active
The Rockets held on to win thanks to an Amen Thompson tip-in at the buzzer off Durant's missed attempt. The play saved Ime Udoka's squad from what would have been a painful collapse on Durant's historic night. Houston held an eight-point lead with 3:25 to play, but the Heat stormed back with a 13-4 run to take the lead with five seconds left, setting the stage for Thompson's winner.
"It is pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats," Durant said after the win.
"A lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can and contribute to a team in a positive way. ... MJ is in a world of his own. He's in a planet, a galaxy, of his own as somebody that I look up to, respect, and who basically shaped the game for me."
Durant surpassed both Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list earlier in the season. He also climbed to 10th place in all-time 3-pointers made during the 2025-26 campaign, overtaking Vince Carter.
The 37-year-old is in his 18th NBA season and playing for his fifth different franchise. A four-time scoring champion (2010-12, 2014), Durant missed the entire 2019-20 campaign after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Durant, who joined the Rockets from the Phoenix Suns as part of an NBA-record seven-team blockbuster trade, leads the team with 25.7 points per game on 51.7% shooting heading into Saturday.