"His mentality was that of an assassin" - Stephen A Smith chooses Michael Jordan over Kevin Durant as greatest scorer in NBA history

Steven A Smith has picked Michael Jordan over Kevin Durant as the greatest scorer in NBA history because of the former's 'assasin' mentality..

Jordan is ranked fifth in the NBA's all-time scoring list with 32,292 points in 15 seasons. In terms of career scoring average, Jordan is atop the list with 30.1 points per game. With LeBron James recently going second all-time in the scoring list, the debate on who is the greatest scorer ever is starting to heat up.

In First Take on ESPN, Smith and Kendrick Perkins revealed their picks on the greatest scorer in NBA history. Smith picked Jordan, who is often considered the game's greatest player ever, while Perkins chose Durant.

"Jordan's ability to finish at the basket. Jordan's ability with his mid-range game. Jordan having the aerial assault that he had was unrivaled. Jordan playing in a far more physical era, etc. Still is a career 30-point per game scorer, who played at arguably the most physical time in basketball," Smith said.

He continued:

"So when you look at what he brought to the table, he was still a 49% shooter from the field. And his mentality was that of an assassin."

Meanwhile, Perkins argued that Durant is the perfect scorer and can do things from attacking the basket to mid-range and well beyond the three-point area. Durant also recently surpassed Jerry West to move up to 22nd in the NBA's all-time scoring list.

"When you're talking about a guy that has zero flaws offensively, Kevin Durant has everything and more in his offensive arsenal. He has the mid-range; he has the post-up; he has the handle to pull up the ball," Perkins said.

Durant would have been higher on the list had he not missed as many games as he has during his career. He almost missed the entire 2014-15 NBA season due to a foot injury. Durant also sat down the entire 2019-20 NBA campaign, recovering from a a torn Achilles tendon.

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Would Michael Jordan be atop the scoring list if he didn't retire in the 1990s?

Michael Jordan during his stint with the Washington Wizards.

There are a lot of what-ifs in NBA history, and some of them are applicable to Michael Jordan. What if Jordan never retired? How many championships would the Chicago Bulls have won? Another question is, would Jordan be the all-time leading scorer in NBA history?

"His Airness" retired twice in the 1990s, first at the end of the 1992-93 NBA season during his prime years. He retired for a second time in 1998 before returning as a member of the Washington Wizards in 2001. Jordan's scoring diminished in his final two seasons, but he was still capable of conjuring high numbers.

Michael Jordan missed almost two full seasons from 1993 to 1995. If he had not retired and played 82 games in 1994 and 1995, he would have scored at least 4,000 points during that span.

And from 1998 to 2001, Jordan would have scored more than 2,000 points. That would have put him past Abdul Jabbar and quite possibly made him the first and only player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points.