At 37 years old, Kevin Durant has still got it.
The Rockets superstar dropped 40 points in a 113-108 win over the Magic Thursday. He passed 32,000 career points in the process, joining LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to reach that threshold.
He was asked about the feat after the game and couldn’t stop cheesin’ when hearing the legendary names he joined as the greatest scorers in NBA history.
“I mean just to be mentioned in the same category as some of the greatest athletes of all time, not just basketball players, greatest athletes of all time,” he said in a postgame interview on the Amazon Prime broadcast. “I’m just honored and blessed and grateful for all the people that invested in me along the way. ... It’s been a long journey and I’m looking forward to keeping it going, but it’s pretty cool.”
"I'm just honored and blessed and grateful for all of the people that invested in me along the way."
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2026
KD on becoming the 6th player in NBA history to reach 32,000 career points 🌟 https://t.co/qEuXPHQonT pic.twitter.com/gQUJM31tgQ
Now with 32,006 career points, Durant needs just 286 more points to pass Jordan and enter the top five of all-time NBA scorers. James is still adding to his total of 43,029 points; a record we won’t see broken for a long time, if ever.
The scoring feat wasn’t the only bit of history Durant claimed with the massive performance Thursday. According to the league, he became the oldest player in Rockets franchise history to record a 40-point game. The big night was the 431st game of Durant’s career where he scored 30 or more points, tying Bryant for the fifth-most 30-point games in NBA history.
It was a big win for the Rockets, too, advancing to 37–21 on the season and moving a half game in front of the Nuggets for the No. 3 seed in the loaded Western Conference. We’re witnessing one of the greatest scorers ever in real time, and if Thursday’s 40-point night told us anything, it’s that Durant isn’t close to done yet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin Durant Couldn’t Stop Smiling at Elite Company He Joined in Historic 40-Point Game.
