Kevin Durant's All-Time Scoring Mark is Even More Impressive With This Context

We all know the kind of scorer that Kevin Durant is. One of the greatest the game has ever seen. The Slim Reaper as he's known continues to rack up points now in his 18th season in the NBA. The numbers keep on flowing.

It was a special moment when Durant passed Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list at Toyota Center in a win over the Miami Heat earlier in March. This was expected to happen all along at some point this season assuming Durant stayed healthy. He's put together not only just a good season, but an incredible one.

Durant is averaging 25.9 points per game on 52% shooting from the field and 41% from three while also going 88% from the free throw line. KD is also adding 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while chipping in on defense with a block and steal as well.

This was his 16th All-Star season at age 37. He deserves to be in the MVP conversation at least. MJ was one of KD's role models growing up and he is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Durant has passed plenty of legends like Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain, but Jordan means a bit more.

Durant has 28 games of at least 30+ points this season. He's been a scoring machine his entire career and this season especially when the Rockets needed it the most. While Durant is now fifth on the all-time scoring list and will likely pass Kobe Bryant as well who is in front of him in fourth at some point in the future, this one particular statistic changes the whole way anyone looks at the list.

Elite Efficiency

Apr 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up prior to the game against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

As of April 6, Durant has 32,511 total points in his career. While Lebron James, who is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 43,368 points is way ahead of Durant, the margin becomes a lot more different to look at after taking field goal attempts into account.

James has the most field goals ever attempted. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second all-time with 38,387 points, but he has the second most field goals attempted. The pattern continues with Karl Malone who is third all-time with 36,928 points, but he also attempted the third most field goals.

Bryant is right behind Malone with 33,643 points, but Bryant had the fourth most field goals attempted.

Right below Durant is Jordan with 32,292. MJ was fifth in field goals attempted. Where is KD in all of this? While Durant is fifth all-time in points, he is a shocking 13th in field goals attempted. That is a drastic difference between his other Hall of Fame competitors. The top four match points and FGA rankings, while Durant's are separate.

Durant has 22,320 career field goals attemped. Compare that to Jordan's 24,537. KD got past MJ's scoring mark with well over 2,000 fewer shots. Bryant is at 26,200 shots attempted. Durant is just around 1000 points away from Bryant on close to 4000 fewer shots.

This isn’t normal, he has defied the odds. pic.twitter.com/KxX8vcEjrY
— ⑦ (@freewrlld) March 23, 2026

While James is above and beyond the ultimate scorer and the current margin of over 5000 points continues to grow between him and Abdul-Jabbar, he is right at the top in field goals attemped. James has 31,454 shots to get to where he is. If you're going to shoot the most shots, the points are likely to be higher as well.

Durant is an exception to the top four. His efficiency in shot-making is through the roof. He makes each shot count far more than his competitors. Durant's field goal percentage is always above 50%, and being arguably the best 3-point shooter (39% in his career) in the top five scoring list will certainly help. The free throw percentage at 88% overall is stellar.

KD is just a different kind of scorer. The four-time scoring champ was unique when he first entered the league and it has remained so.