Kevin Durant’s vintage mid-range jumper vaults him past Dominique Wilkins for 14th all-time in points.
Kevin Durant passed Dominique Wilkins for 14th on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaderboard Sunday, nailing a mid-range turnaround jumper to out-point the Hawks’ legend with a 26,669th.
Having played only 977 games to date, Durant is positioned to reach the next several spots well faster than their current inhabitants. Oscar Robertson (27,710 points in 1,040 games) is up next, soon followed by Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946; 1,238).
Durant notably ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals, missed the 2019-20 season and then returned with little evidence of slowdown. Fittingly, Wilkins was one of the only previous players with an Achilles’ injury to regain most of their previous form.
With continued health, Durant should also surpass Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone this season; Carmelo Anthony and Shaquille O’Neal would be likely be overcome early in the 2023-24 campaign, leaving Durant No. 8 all-time with room to soar.
Continuing to climb the ranks 📈@KDTrey5 is now 14th on the all-time scoring list! pic.twitter.com/pSj21Rdwhj
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 8, 2023
Congrats to @KDTrey5 of the @BrooklynNets for moving to 14th all-time in the NBA leading scorers list! pic.twitter.com/4Kn6Y9BFzQ
— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2023