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Kevin Durant's Honest Admission Ahead of Looming Retirement Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 8:33 AM ET

At 37, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant is starting to think about life after basketball. The 18-year veteran has shown no signs of slowing down under head coach Ime Udoka.

He is averaging 25.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Durant continues to score efficiently, shooting 51.7% from the field and 40.8% from three-point range across 67 games this season.

His latest milestone speaks for itself. On Saturday, the 16-time All-Star surpassed Michael Jordan for fifth place on the NBA all-time scoring list. He reached the mark in Houston's 123-122 win over the Miami Heat.

Even so, the future Hall of Famer recently addressed his retirement timeline in a recent interview.

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant.Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Following the milestone, Durant reflected on what lies ahead. He sat down with business partner Rich Kleiman on their Boardroom podcast after the game. At the 21:04 mark, the conversation turned to the inevitable.

"There's gonna come a time when it's not my place, and we're creeping closer to that," he 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 is a 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."

Durant did not shy away from the fact that he is now on the tail end of his career. The 16-time All-Star is adamant that he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. At the same time, however, Durant has admitted that he's drawing closer toward the end. Soon, he will face the inevitable decision about retirement.

Durant still has plenty left to give. For one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, that humility says everything.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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