NBA 2018/19: Russell Westbrook passes Kevin Durant for major record

During the Oklahoma City Thunder's disappointing 118-114 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, Russell Westbrook made a huge piece of OKC history, as he passed Kevin Durant to become the second all-time scorer in Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder history.

The 30-year-old needed just seven points to pass Durant, although Westbrook managed 20, during an otherwise disappointing personal performance, in which he continuously turned the ball over to the Pelicans. Despite this, those points mean that Westbrook now has 17,580 points, while Durant sits on 17,566.

Westbrook's quest to become the leading scorer in franchise history has no doubt benefited from Durant's departure, as KD scored at a rate of more than 27 points-per-game during his time with the Thunder.

While Westbrook is now the leading scorer in Oklahoma City Thunder history, he still needs to pass Gary Payton's record tally of 18,207 to become the leading scorer in franchise history (The Seattle SuperSonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008).

If the 2017 MVP continues to score at his current rate of around 22 points per game, then Westbrook will, in fact, beat Payton's tally by March. With the 7-time superstar still aged just 30, he could ultimately finish his career in Oklahoma City with an unbeatable scoring record.

Westbrook is destined to go down as a legend in Oklahoma City thanks to his loyalty to a franchise that many NBA stars view as an unfavorable place to play basketball.

Despite this Westbrook has turned down offers from some of the best teams around the league such as the Lakers, to stay with the team that drafted him in 2008, and he is likely to end his career as the franchise's leader in points, assists, and rebounds.

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