Tracy McGrady places himself above Kevin Durant in all-time list of best scorers, MJ and Kobe also feature
Due to his combination of ballhandling, shooting and finishing abilities, Kevin Durant has made a name for himself as one of the league's best scorers. Currently, he holds the eighth spot in the NBA's all-time scoring list and will likely climb even higher before he retires.
However, Tracy McGrady, a seven-time NBA All-Star who played his best years with the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets, thinks he's a better scorer than KD. This is despite McGrady (18,381 points) scoring far less than KD in his career.
McGrady did include KD on his list of the top five scorers of all time; it just so happened that he was ranked fifth while McGrady ranked himself fourth. The list also included Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who were one and two, respectively.
Tracy McGrady spent 15 seasons in the NBA and scored 18,381 points. At the height of his career, he was one of the league's best scorers. He averaged 32.1 points per game in 2002-23 and 28.0 the next season. During both seasons, he was the league's scoring champion.
McGrady, much like Kevin Durant, was an anomaly. The 6-foot-8 forward had the athleticism to get by defenders and the body control to finish tough shots inside like a guard.
Moreover, he had a reliable jumper and could occasionally pull off handles like a point guard. Guarding McGrady was a difficult task and even Kobe Bryant admitted that he was one of his toughest matchups.
Kevin Durant needs 4,719 points to tie with Kobe Bryant on all-time scoring list
Kevin Durant has already accumulated 28,924 points, over 10,000 more than Tracy McGrady. He also has 635 more than Carmelo Anthony, whom McGrady ranked third on his list of best scorers. The only two players who have more career points than KD on McGrady's list are also ranked one and two: Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Among these players, Kobe holds the distinction of having the most career points. During his 20-year career, he scored 33,643 points, which is the fourth-most among all NBA players, past and present.
Here are the players separating Kobe and KD on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Immediately above KD is Wilt Chamberlain, who has 31,419 career points. Next is Dirk Nowitzki, with 31,560. The fifth all-time scorer on the NBA's list is none other than Michael Jordan, who retired with 32,292 points.
In total, KD will need to score 4,719 more points to tie Kobe in the NBA's all-time scoring list.