Houston Rockets star forward Kevin Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the NBA career scoring list during a 111-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Kevin Durant Moves Up NBA Scoring List
Durant, 37, passed Chamberlain in the third quarter when he made a 3-pointer. The future Hall of Famer needed 15 points heading into the game to eclipse Chamberlain, who scored 31,419.
Durant’s jumper with 7:57 left in the third propelled him to 31,422. Michael Jordan is fifth on the career list with 32,292 points, while Dirk Nowitzki is sixth with 31,560.
“To be amongst the greats is always an honor,” Durant said after the game. “Wilt is somebody I studied and tried to look up to as much as I can, a player like that. Like I always say, he set a standard for NBA players and [I’m] grateful to reach that — and inspired by what he produced for the game of basketball.”
In December, Durant also became the eighth player to reach 31,000 career points.
KEVIN DURANT PASSES WILT CHAMBERLAIN FOR 7th ON THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST 🤩 pic.twitter.com/rcc0DtcwS2
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2026
Kevin Durant on potentially passing Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list. He only needs 15 more points. pic.twitter.com/4oxpcBmOFn
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 9, 2026
When it was announced at the Moda Center that Durant moved up the league’s all-time scoring list, the 15-time All-Star received a warm applause and a hug from Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter.
“These milestones always have me reflecting on the people that helped me get to this point — the journey that I’ve been through, the close calls, and the things that could have went left plenty of times in my life,” Durant said.
“So to be here, very, very grateful, and Portland is such a classy, classy city for recognizing me in that moment and honoring me.”
Splitter said he remembered Durant putting up MVP numbers when he was a young player with the Thunder.
“Just a young Kevin Durant, scoring 30 every night, and he just keeps doing that, which is amazing,” Splitter said. “At his age, of course, he’s probably at the end of his career, but just doing that every night is just impressive.”
Rockets Acquired Durant From Suns
Durant, 37, joined the Rockets from Phoenix this summer in a historic seven-team trade that sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.
Green remains sidelined with Phoenix due to a strained right hamstring.
Durant spent 2½ seasons with the Suns after a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in February 2023. He was an All-Star in both of his full seasons in Phoenix.
Through 33 appearances with Houston this season, Durant is averaging 26.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 36.2 minutes per game while shooting 52.1% from the floor and 40.3% from 3-point range.
Durant, who is in his 18th NBA season, recorded 30 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in Friday’s game. He finished 11-for-20 (55%) shooting from the field and 4-of-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc.
The Rockets visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
