Kevin Durant: career, statistics and honours of an NBA legend who is still playing

Published on July 21, 2026 9 min. reading

There are some players whose greatness we only truly appreciate once they’ve retired. Kevin Durant, however, hasn’t waited. At 37, the purest scorer of his generation is still racking up the points on NBA courts, now wearing the colours of the Houston Rockets. A two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, 2014 MVP, four-time league top scorer, and four-time Olympic champion with Team USA – including gold at the 2024 Paris Games on home soil. His legacy is already cemented. But what sets him apart is that the clock is still ticking. Here is a portrait of a giant in motion.

Kevin Durant is a one-of-a-kind figure in modern basketball. A legend we’re already celebrating, even as he’s still playing. We take you through a journey that stretches from Oklahoma City to the Warriors, from the Nets to the Suns, and on to Houston today. Up-to-date stats, verified honours, and one essential reminder: with him, nothing is set in stone.

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Kevin Durant’s career : from Seattle prodigy to Houston legend

The University of Texas prodigy

Kevin Durant was born on 29 September 1988 in Washington, in the suburbs of the US capital. From a very early age, the youngster showed great promise in both height and talent. He had a slender build, endless arms and an already silky touch on the ball.

He headed to the University of Texas for a single season, in 2006–07. It was a sensational season. Durant was named the NCAA’s Most Valuable Player – an unprecedented achievement for a freshman. The verdict was clear: this lad was cut out for the NBA.

The 2007 draft : the second pick that was meant to be the first

In 2007, the Seattle SuperSonics selected Durant with the second pick in the draft. Ahead of him was just one name: Greg Oden, who had gone to Portland. History would soon tell. Whilst Oden was plagued by injuries, Durant burst onto the scene.

He was named Rookie of the Year in his very first season. The franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder. Durant would go on to be the face of the team for nearly a decade.

Oklahoma City : the scoring titles and the 2014 MVP

This is where the legend took shape. In OKC, Durant became a scoring machine. Four league scoring titles (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) and astonishing consistency in attack. At just 21, he was already dominating the NBA in scoring.

In 2014, he clinched the ultimate individual honour: the regular-season MVP award. That year, he averaged around 32 points per game. His acceptance speech, dedicated to his mother, “the real MVP”, remains a cult classic.

But in OKC, the quest for the title turned into an ordeal. With Russell Westbrook by his side, the Thunder reached the 2012 Finals, driven by a brash young squad. Opposing them were the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Oklahoma City won the first game, then lost four in a row. 4–1. The hurdle was too high; they lacked experience. At 23, Durant had his chance, without realising it would be his only Finals appearance in that shirt.

The real heartbreak came in 2016. The Thunder faced Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals – the team that had just completed a record-breaking 73-win season. And OKC led 3–1. Just one win away from the NBA Finals. Then it all came crashing down: the Warriors turned the series around by winning the last three games, including a Game 7 in Oakland. Durant was so close, yet once again denied the title by Curry’s team.

That elimination marked a turning point. A few weeks later, Durant made the most controversial decision of his career: to join the very same Warriors who had just knocked him out. The nickname ‘the Snake’ would stick with him for a long time, for having chosen to side with his tormentors rather than fight them.

The move to Golden State: the decision that changed everything

Summer 2016. Durant made the most controversial decision of his career: he left OKC to join the Golden State Warriors, the team that had just won 73 games in the regular season and knocked him out in the conference final. Many accused him of taking the easy way out.

The debate is legitimate, the result indisputable. At Golden State, alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Durant joins one of the most dominant teams in history.

2017 and 2018: two titles, twice Finals MVP

At this point, there was no longer any doubt about his talent. In 2017, the Warriors dominated the league and beat LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. Durant was named Finals MVP. His first ring.

It was the same story in 2018. Same opponent, same result, same individual honour. Second title, second Finals MVP trophy. Throughout those two series, Durant produced some truly outstanding basketball, unbeatable in crunch time. The sceptics can put their arguments to one side.

The Nets, the Suns : years of disappointment

In 2019, Durant signed for Brooklyn. But a serious Achilles tendon rupture, sustained in the 2019 Finals whilst playing for Golden State, ruled him out for the entire 2019–20 season. His comeback was a success on a personal level, but the team’s campaign was far less so. The star trio featuring Kyrie Irving and James Harden never really gelled over the long term.

In early 2023, he set his sights on the Phoenix Suns. Once again, he remained an elite scorer, but the team’s project failed to take off as hoped. Their play-off run was cut short.

The Houston Rockets : the legend lives on at 37

Summer 2025. Kevin Durant is traded to the Houston Rockets, who are counting on his experience to help develop their young squad. At 37, many expected him to be on the decline.

They were wrong. During the 2025–26 season, Durant played 78 matches and finished as his team’s top scorer with an average of 26.0 points, also leading the way in minutes played and shooting accuracy. Houston were knocked out in the first round of the play-offs by the Lakers, but the message was clear: the scorer is still going strong. In February 2026, he even extended his contract with the Texan franchise. The rest remains to be seen.

Kevin Durant’s playing style : the scorer the defence simply cannot stop

Let’s be frank: Kevin Durant is perhaps the most unstoppable scorer this sport has ever produced. His physique is an anomaly. Over 2.10 m tall, with enormous arms, yet he possesses the coordination and touch of a point guard. On paper, he shouldn’t even exist.

His ultimate weapon ? The shot. Catch-and-shoot, off-the-dribble, one-foot fadeaway, mid-range jumper: he sinks them all, from anywhere. With his height and vertical leap, his shot is quite simply uncontestable. The defence does what it can. It’s never enough.

Add to that a level of statistical efficiency rarely seen for such a high volume of shots. Durant scores a lot and scores cleanly. Every offensive coach’s dream.

He has sometimes been criticised for his fragile physique and inconsistent defensive presence. Fair enough. But when it comes to scoring alone, he belongs to an elite group of just three or four players in the entire history of the game. It is that talent – pure, almost unreal – that defines his legacy.

Closer to the game…

Closer to the light !

Why Kevin Durant has left his mark on basketball

His first hallmark is elevating high-scoring to an art form. Durant has redefined what a big man can do with the ball in his hands. A modern centre who shoots like a guard, who creates his own shot against any defender. A whole generation of versatile big men draws inspiration from his example. He is the one who popularised the archetype of the big man who slams home baskets from all over the court.

His second hallmark is his longevity at the very top. Coming back from a ruptured Achilles tendon – in a position and at a size where such an injury has ended many careers – and playing at that level again several seasons later: that is a feat that is often underestimated. At 37, he was still averaging 26 points. His consistency, over nearly twenty years, commands respect.

His third hallmark is his Olympic legacy. And here, French basketball has a particular reason to remember him. At Paris 2024, in front of a crowd firmly behind Les Bleus, Durant denied the French team the gold medal in the final. Four Olympic titles – the first male basketball player to achieve this quadruple – and the all-time leading scorer for Team USA at the Games. Frustrating for us, but a massive achievement for him.

Note on FIBA vs NBA rules: Kevin Durant’s Olympic campaign is played under FIBA rules (10-minute quarters, a closer three-point line, a different ball), not to be confused with his day-to-day NBA routine. His dominance in both contexts speaks volumes about his adaptability.

Kevin Durant’s statistics, honours and achievements

The figures speak for themselves, but they are not set in stone: Durant is still playing. Here is an overview of his career, based on data as at 18 June 2026, the end of the 2025–26 season. The tally continues to rise.

Career individual statistics (regular season)

– Points scored (total): 32,597

– All-time scoring ranking: 5th (behind LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant)

– Points per game (career): ≃ 27

– 2025–26 season (Houston): 26.0 points per game over 78 games

– Seasons in the NBA: since 2007 (career ongoing)

Durant overtook Michael Jordan on 21 March 2026 to claim fifth place on the all-time list. His next target, should his career continue, is Kobe Bryant (33,643 points, 4th). One to watch, as the tally is still rising.

Honours and awards

– NBA titles : 2 (2017, 2018, Golden State Warriors)

– NBA Finals MVP : 2 (2017, 2018)

– Regular Season MVP : 1 (2014, Oklahoma City)

– NBA scoring titles : 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014)

– All-Star selections : 16 (as of 18 June 2026)

– Rookie of the Year : 2008

– Olympic gold medals : 4 (London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

– Olympic record : first male basketball player to win four titles; Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the Games