After surpassing one of his idols, Dirk Nowitzki, in January, Kevin Durant was looking forward to the next man on the list. Michael Jordan’s 32,292 points were always an achievable target, which the Rockets star earned against the Miami Heat.

From an eight-year-old, KD first glimpsed His Airness when the Chicago Bulls took on your hometown Washington Bullets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. To surpass the legend was an emotional moment. “It means a lot,” said Durant. “I’m just grateful to do it here for this fan base that shows me so much love and support me every game. I’m just grateful to be here and what a journey its been i’m looking forward to keep it going.”

On Saturday against the Heat, with 4:46 left in regulation, the Slim Reaper produced a corner three for his 27th point to earn the historic feat. He has now entered the Top 5 ranking in the league’s all-time scoring leaderboard, joining Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James.

The 37-year-old has never shied away from calling MJ one of his inspirations. After the game, he did the same. “I’ve 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”.

Fans within the Toyota Center were waiting because Kevin Durant needed 26 more points to surpass the Bulls legend. His first shot on the night didn’t fall, but KD still was productive with 9-of-17 shooting from the field and hitting five of his nine triples. As fortune would have it, he ended on 27 points, and even the head coach tipped his hat for the star player.

The Rockets’ head coach sets future goals for Kevin Durant

Last week, KD was candid and explained that, even though he would overtake MJ, the gap wasn’t just because of basketball. “But the only reason I’m even close to MJ is because he retired twice.” While Kevin Durant remained modest, let’s not forget his career issues as well. Two injuries cut the majority of his time on the hardwood.

A foot injury in the 2014-15 season meant he only played in 27 games after his MVP run. Then, with an Achilles tear in 2019, which put a question mark over his long-term health. But Kevin Durant has battled those and is still firing on all cylinders. And the Rockets’ head coach is expecting it to continue further.

“I don’t wanna just make it an afterthought, obviously, to be top five all time in scoring,” said Udoka. “The efficiency and professionalism he plays with, you kind of can take it for granted. So passing the name Michael Jordan is obviously a huge accomplishment, and we celebrate that with him. Great to do it on a win, and I’m sure he’ll have some more to kind of chop off next.”

The record is set, but the job for Kevin Durant is never done. He now has 32,294 career points, chasing Kobe Bryant with 33,643 points. With 1,349 separating the two, it’s another achievable target for KD to hit.