Kevin Durant Talks Using Michael Jordan as 'Inspiration' for NBA Career, 'He Scared Defenders'

Kevin Durant sits at 32,242 career points, just 51 shy of surpassing NBA G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan for fifth place on the all-time scoring list.

So it should come as little surprise that Jordan's game has been a huge influence on Durant.

"Jordan has always been my inspiration. There's a reason why I wanted to be able to knock down those shots," he told The Athletic's William Guillory. "He was always unstoppable, but when he became a midrange maestro, you never knew how he would attack you. You never knew what MJ was going to do. He scared defenders every night, and I wanted to put that same kind of fear in the defender who's guarding me."

Durant, 37, is one of the most uniquely gifted scorers of all time, combining rare length with incredible shooting touch and an array of moves that help him consistently create solid looks for himself. He has the skill set of a guard but the height of a center, making him basically impossible to defend.

"You can play the best defense possible against him, feel like you did everything right, then he just rises up and swishes it," Miami Heat forward Norman Powell told Guillory. "All you can do is shake your head."

Jordan had a different physical profile than Durant but left defenders equally frustrated. Durant copied plenty of those moves along the way.