Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is well-known as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. On Feb. 11, he weighed in on just how far he thinks he can climb the all-time scoring ladder when asked by Shane Young of Forbes Sports if he expects he’ll be able to score 40,000 points by the end of his career.
“How many years do you think that would take? You gotta get what … 2,000 points a year? I don’t know if I can get there, man, that’s what makes LeBron’s rise to the top pretty special,” Durant remarked. “He stayed healthy and stayed consistent. So I’m trying to stay consistent and see what happens, man.”
Kevin Durant’s Chances of Scoring 40,000 Points
Since he’s currently sitting eighth in league history with 30,008 points, he’d need five nearly full seasons averaging 2,000 points per year to crack 40,000. So, although fans might be disappointed by the non-committal answer, the outcome really is health-dependent.
In the 2023-24 season, Durant was able to play 75 games — his highest mark since 2018-19 — through which he averaged 27.1 points per game, good for 2,032 total points.
Although he’s averaging the exact same amount of points per game this season, it’s already too late for him to hit that games played mark since he’s missed 13 out of 53 games so far, which means he’d really need to ramp up his scoring output to hit 2,000 points this year.
He’ll also be 37 years old by the beginning of next season, so assuming he’s on a 2,000 points-per-season pace, he’d have to play well past 40 to meet his longtime rival LeBron James in the 40,000-point club.
With that being said, it’s not ridiculous at all to expect him to close his career as one of the top three scorers of all time, as third-place Karl Malone (36,298 points) and second-place Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) are both within reach.
Of course, some of this discourse is dependent on which team he ends up with, as Durant’s future with the Suns is murky, and his fit within a new team could well result in him having either a more or less significant role in the offense than he currently does. He’ll be a free agent after the 2025-26 season, but there’s plenty of speculation that he could be on his way out via trade this offseason, according to Brian Windhorst.
“He’s probably going to get traded this summer,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Feb. 12. “He knows it, the Suns know it, the rest of the league know it.”
“I would expect this summer for Durant and the Suns to work together to find a new home.” 😯
—@windhorstESPN on the future of Kevin Durant beyond this season pic.twitter.com/626Z3j71Hu
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 12, 2025
Although his time with the team could be coming to a close, Durant recently dismissed claims that the Suns have a “toxic” locker room and was caught off-guard upon learning he was included in trade talks.
Regardless of what his long-term future holds, what’s certain is that Durant will be representing the Suns at the 2025 All-Star Game amidst a strong season averaging 27.1 points, 6.0 boards, and 4.1 assists while shooting 52.8% from the field and 40.4% from deep. He’ll participate in the revamped contest as a member of Shaq’s OGs alongside James and former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry.
