Kevin Durant can potentially surpass Hakeem Olajuwon on NBA all-time scoring list playing against Lakers

Kevin Durant made a name for himself in the NBA as he's regarded as one of the elite scorers of all time. Ahead of the Phoenix Suns' second game of the season, KD is on track to surpass Hakeem Olajuwon on the all-time scoring list.

According to NBA Communications, the Suns All-Star is closing in on the 12th spot of the NBA's scoring list. He needs 36 points to tie and 37 to surpass "The Dream." He has 26,910 points and Olajuwon scored 26,946 points in his career.

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The Suns confirmed that Devin Booker and Bradley Beal won't play tonight against the LA Lakers. This will be a perfect chance for Durant to take over the scoring responsibility and potentially score at least 37 points to surpass Olajuwon.

On the first game of the season for Phoenix, the 13-time All-Star struggled to score. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists against the Golden State Warriors. KD shot 31.8% from the field as he had difficulty contributing to the Suns' scoring department.

This season, scoring could be easy for Durant as he plays alongside Booker and Beal, two elite scorers.

You might also be interested in reading this: Kevin Durant marks 1766 day gap since last LeBron James matchup with endearing message ahead of Lakers' home opener

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Kevin Durant shares his respect for LeBron James

The rivalry between Kevin Durant and LeBron James has been lauded as one of the most entertaining. The two superstars have gone up against each other multiple times. Tonight's game will be the first time since 2018 that the two will face each other.

Their teams have always played against each other during the regular season. Due to injuries, however, both KD and LeBron haven't played against each other since the 2018 NBA Finals. Durant was still with the Golden State Warriors at the time and James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It's been five years since the two stepped foot in the court against each other and fans are mostly excited for it. Before the game, the two-time Finals MVP talked about their mutual respect.

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"There's mutual respect there for each other's game," KD said. "So that usually brings the best out of everybody."

"We had a lot of tough battles together. But it will be exciting playing here for their home opener. It's always cool playing in the Crypto. It's going to be fun tonight."

The Lakers are looking to get their first win of the season, while the Suns will do their best to win two games in a row.

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