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Kevin Durant Gets Honest About His Retirement Timeline

Originally posted on AirJordanChronicles | By Utsav Sinha | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 7:07 PM ET

Kevin Durant just introduced everybody to a reality after overcoming MJ on the all-time scoring list. Durant openly talked about his retirement plan.

Soon after the historic game against the Rockets, Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, appeared on Boardroom Talks. He accepted that the endpoint is getting closer.

“There’s gonna come time when it’s not my place, and we’re creeping closer to that.” At the age of 37, the retirement plan seems very sudden and real. He further said, “And it’s crazy to think about as the season winds down..This is what I spent all my life doing, every day.”

This defines the importance of basketball in his life. This sport has been his true identity since childhood. Removing the sport from his life leaves a huge void in his daily structure.

At the end, he showed acceptance and said, “This is part of my routine. This is what I center my life around, is the game. So, to know that, having a handful of years, hopefully, left to do this, gotta start getting prepared for that next phase.”

After surpassing Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list, Kevin Durant spoke candidly about his retirement timeline.

"There's gonna come a time when it's not my place, and we're creeping closer to that. And it's crazy to think about as the season winds down… This… pic.twitter.com/ZaN4N1dr53
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) March 23, 2026

These statements prove that he might not retire right now, but mentally, he’s getting prepared for the next phases of his life.

This exact moment conveys something very deep. MJ is a role model to Durant and many others. To surpass him on the all-time scoring list on the same day, talking about the ending phases of his career is surprising.

In 2022, Kevin Durant used to immediately shut down any retirement rumors, saying he didn’t have any plans to retire sooner. Later, he stated that he had often thought about the retirement idea, but has zero plans to retire soon.

What’s Next on the Plate for Kevin Durant?

Durant still has space to climb in the milestones list. The top 5 list consists of LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant with 33,643 points, and at 5th Durant with 32,294 points.

He is currently 1,349 points short of Kobe. If he stays fit, passing him is quite possible. Surpassing Kareem or Malone has a slim chance, but achievable over 2 or 3 more seasons.

Apart from individual goals, he has clear team goals as well. Adding a 3rd title shot to his resume would really put a cherry on the cake.

It seems like Durant doesn’t have a bucket list. He has never demanded another championship or a particular point total mark to achieve in his career. He only aims to enjoy the entire process and have fun.

He has already built a great foundation off the court. His Boardroom Media company is pretty successful. Durant is still one of the greatest players, but he is finally getting prepared to look ahead.

This article first appeared on AirJordanChronicles and was syndicated with permission.

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