Kareem Abduul-Jabbar believes Kevin Durant will outscore him

Both Steve Kerr and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently spoke on Kevin Durant’s talents as a scorer and how he might become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Kevin Durant has done more than enough to prove himself as an all-time great scorer. Recent praise from both his head coach, Steve Kerr, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has opened up a few talking points. Does Durant have what it takes to become the highest scorer in league history?

It’s a valid question. The NBA has rarely seen a player of Durant’s height and quickness. Combine this with elite shooting and a killer crossover and Durant is truly a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end.

Through his 12-year career, Durant has amassed a total of 22,940 points. His career average of 27.0 points per game is the sixth most of any player in history. Still, KD sits over 15,000 points away from the number one spot which is held by none other than Kareem himself.

Kareem played 20 seasons in the league and owned perhaps the deadliest move in NBA history, the skyhook. It would take KD an average of 23.5 points per game over the next eight seasons for him to capture the number one scoring title.

This is a very doable feat for Durant. At only 30 years of age, there is no reason to believe he can’t continue playing at a high level for multiple years and remain in the league until his 40’s. However, there is another player that could push this mark even higher for Durant.

LeBron James is currently the highest scoring player still active in the NBA. With a total of 32,543 career points, James would only have to average 17.8 points per game for four seasons to pass Kareem on the leaderboards. Assuming James plays into his 40’s, he could potentially become the first player to ever break the 40,000 barrier.

Of course, this is assuming that both Durant and James play all 82 regular season games each season. It goes without saying that this is an unlikely feat for both players. Even with a few missed games, each star could still find themselves reaching incredible spots on the all-time lists.

If Durant manages to remain relatively healthy, it should come as no surprise if he passes Kareem within the next decade.