Almost seven years after retiring, basketball idol Dirk Nowitzki has lost sixth place in the all-time NBA scoring list to Kevin Durant. The Houston Rockets star scored 18 points in a 119:110 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night and is now two ahead of Würzburger (31,560) with a total of 31,562 points.
“I’m not thrilled that he passed me,” joked Nowitzki, whose video message was shown at the Rockets’ arena. “No, seriously, for me he is one of the most technically accomplished and elegant scorers the game has ever seen,” Nowitzki continued: “I think he is a 2.13 meter man with the game of a shooting guard.”
Durant needed 17 points to overtake Nowitzki, but he barely managed it. 15 seconds before the end of the game, the 15-time all-star passed the 47-year-old with his first of two goals at the free throw line.
It was great “to be on the same level as Dirk, who I looked up to, whom I idolized and against whom I played,” said Durant: “We had some great duels. Standing next to such a legend is just incredible. And right under Michael Jordan, it’s crazy.” Jordan (32,292) is fifth. – The NBA scorer list at a glance:
1. LeBron James* 42,703 points
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38.387
8. Wilt Chamberlain 31.419
10. Shaquille O’Neal 28.596
