"I could have come close"- Kevin Durant makes bold claim about his shot at eclipsing LeBron James' greatest record
Throughout his historic career, Kevin Durant has proven to be one of the greatest offensive talents in NBA history. During a recent interview, he made a bold claim about eclipsing a record that many thought would never be broken.
As he begins his 17th year in the league, Durant sits at eighth all-time in scoring with 28,949 career points. At the top is LA Lakers star LeBron James, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
While speaking with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Kevin Durant touched on LeBron claiming the top spot on the scoring list. The Phoenix Suns forward feels he would have had a shot at the record if it had not been for injuries.
“I’ve been close. I missed a lot of time," Durant said. "I missed some games and seasons where I was scoring some good numbers. I could have come close.”
Injuries have cost Durant significant time during his nearly two-decade-long run in the league. Back in 2015, he suffered a Jones fracture in his foot that resulted in him playing just 27 games that season. KD also famously tore his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 finals, costing him an entire year of his career.
Seeing that he's never averaged less than 20 points per game in his career, Durant isn't wrong to say he'd have a shot at the record if it weren't for injuries.
Kevin Durant comes up big for Suns in season opener vs LA Clippers
Despite being in the later stages of his career, Kevin Durant is still one of the NBA's most elite scorers. The former MVP had a strong outing for the Phoenix Suns to open the 2024-25 campaign in the win column.
On Thursday night, the Suns played the LA Clippers in the first official game of the Clippers' new home, the Intuit Dome. Thanks to a strong performance from their stars, the Suns were able to spoil the night and steal a win on the road.
Following an end-of-game turnover by James Harden in overtime, the Suns were able to walk away with a 116-113 victory. Kevin Durant led the charge for Phoenix, logging 43 minutes and 40 seconds in this overtime thriller. He finished the game with a team-high 25 points, along with seven rebounds and three steals.
After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year, the new-look Suns are aiming to contend in the Western Conference in 2025. Kicking off the year with a win should bode well for them as they aim to build momentum early in the season.