Kevin Durant breaks into the NBA’s top six all-time scorers, surpassing Dirk Nowitzki

Houston Rockets’ legend Kevin Durant added another memorable chapter to his Hall of Fame career on Sunday night. Durant, in the recent match played against the New Orleans Pelicans, scored 18 points in a 119–110 win over the Pelicans, while moving ahead of his former idol Dirk Nowitzki on the NBA’s all‑time scoring list. Durant entered the game needing 17 points to pass Nowitzki’s mark of 31,560 career points, and he reached the milestone in the final minute of the game. With only 15.2 seconds left, Durant made a free throw that put him on 31,562 career points. Overall, the Rockets as a team delivered some exceptional performances last night, with Jabari Smith Jr. leading with 32 points, which was followed by Amen Thompson contributing 20 points, then again, Alperen Şengün scored 21 points, Trey Murphy III 21 points, and Zion Williamson 20 points. With more than 18,000 points, Kevin Durant has slowly moved up the NBA scoring list to become one of the NBA all time greatest scorers of all time. Durant on Sunday’s match, not just scored, but he also helped with eight assists, showing his impact even at the age of 37 in his 18th NBA season.Durant spoke after the game about what it meant to pass Nowitzki, saying:“To be up there with Dirk, somebody I looked up to, I idolized, I competed against… To be up there with a legend like that, it’s just insane.”Durant later also mentioned his next target on the list: Chicago Bulls’ legend Michael Jordan, with 32,292 points. “He’s passing people nightly… he just keeps accomplishing milestones, and he just acts like it’s nothing”, Rockets teammate Jabari Smith Jr. praised Durant. After the game, the Rockets honored the moment with a short video from Dirk Nowitzki, where he congratulated Durant, calling him “one of the purest scorers this game has ever seen”. Durant appreciated the message, calling it special that Nowitzki took time to acknowledge his achievement and for showing his support towards him. Nowitzki’s own legacy in the NBA is quite exceptional, as he remains one of the most beloved players in league history, with Durant now joining him in the top six all‑time in scoring.