“MJ Is In a World Of His Own,” Kevin Durant Reacts After Passing Michael Jordan in Major All-Timer List

Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA's career scoring list.

“MJ Is In a World Of His Own,” Kevin Durant Reacts After Passing Michael Jordan in Major All-Timer List

Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Kevin Durant surpassed Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA's career scoring list.
  • Durant scored a team-high 27 points in a victory over the Miami Heat, reaching 32,294 career points.
  • Rockets head coach Ime Udoka praised Durant's achievement, highlighting the significance of passing a legend like Jordan.

Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant are arguably two of the best pure scorers the game has ever seen. Both players have made their marks as the greatest scorers of their respective eras, with Jordan winning ten scoring titles while Durant has four titles to his name.

On Saturday night, Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring list. Durant spoke candidly about passing the NBA icon in his post-match press conference.

I got more to go but it is pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats. A lot of these guys inspired me to come work on my game as much as I can… I been inspired by all these players i’ve either passed or coming up to. MJ is in a world of his own. A planet/galaxy of his own. Somebody that I look up too and respect. Who basically shaped the game for me.

Kevin Durant on surpassing Michael Jordan’s record

Kevin Durant joined the Houston Rockets in the offseason last year. The move was criticized by some as a move in search of championships, something he has struggled with since his departure from the Golden State Warriors in 2019.

The two-time champion scored a team-high 27 points and led the Rockets to a closely fought 123-122 victory over the Miami Heat at the Toyota Center on Saturday night. In the fourth quarter, Durant made a three-pointer with less than five minutes left to give him 32,294 points, surpassing Michael Jordan.

The Rockets have suffered a slight dip in form over the last few weeks, but still see themselves at fourth place in a highly competitive Western Conference standings with a 43-27 record. Meanwhile, the Heat have now lost four games in a row and dropped to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Ime Udoka on Kevin Durant passing Michael Jordan

While there may be no player who will surpass Michael Jordan’s record of 10 scoring titles, Kevin Durant has won four of them in an era with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and more. He trails only Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in the scoring titles list.

Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant (Image credits – Draftkings/X)

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka weighed in on his star forward breaking into the top-five all-time scoring list in his post-match press conference.

It’s an honor for everybody to be apart of that…. Don’t want to make it an afterthought to be top 5 all time in scoring. The efficiency, professionalism he plays with you kind of take it for granted. Passing a name like MJ is a huge accomplishment. I’m sure he’ll have some more names to chop off next.

Ime Udoka in his press conference

This season, Durant has surpassed Wilt Chamberlain, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Jordan in the all-time scoring list. He has his eyes set on Kobe Bryant, who is in fourth place with 33,643 points.

Bam Adebayo showers praise on Kevin Durant after his milestone

Bam Adebayo may not be a scorer like Kevin Durant, but he does know a thing or two about breaking records. The Heat center broke Bryant’s 81-point record last week when he scored 83 points in a match against the Washington Wizards.

When asked about Durant’s latest feat, Adebayo had nothing but positive words for the former MVP in his post-match media scrum.

I’ve seen him behind the scenes of how much he works on his game so it’s no shocker. We obviously know who Kevin Durant is but it’s no shocker seeing him get that milestone — he deserves it, congratulations to him.

Bam Adebayo on Kevin Durant

Currently in his 19th season in the NBA, Durant has shown no signs of slowing down. In his first season with the Rockets, he is currently averaging 25.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.

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