Kevin Durant moves to sixth place on NBA’s all-time scoring leaders

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Houston Rockets star forward Kevin Durant achieved another career milestone after moving up to sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list on Jan. 19, 2026.

Durant officially grabbed the feat during Houston’s 119–110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, where he netted 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and a steal.

With only 15.2 seconds left, Durant needed just one point to surpass NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 points), which he did at the free-throw line.

After cashing in both of his shots from the charity stripe, the entire Toyota Center in Texas gave Durant a standing ovation, including the Rockets bench and some members of New Orleans’ coaching staff.

Those free throws formally put Durant in sixth place with 31,562 points, and he will look to overtake Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, who sits in fifth place with 32,292 points.

In just a month, Durant has already tallied his second record after becoming the league’s all-time leader in most go-ahead three-pointers in the final five seconds of NBA games.

Durant claimed the recognition on Jan. 6, 2026, when he steered Houston to a 100–97 victory over his former team, the Phoenix Suns.

With the game tied at 97-all, Durant buried the game-winning trey with 1.1 seconds to go and capped off the Western Conference rivalry with 26 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer.

Despite playing in his first year with the young and talented Houston squad, Durant has continued to post his usual numbers and is currently averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 38 regular-season games.

Durant’s all-around brilliance helped the Rockets secure the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 25–15 win-loss record, just two wins behind the fourth-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves.

Congratulations, KD!