Kevin Durant has etched his name deeper into NBA history, becoming just the eighth player to surpass 30,000 career points.
The 36-year-old reached the milestone with a free throw that made the 26th of his 34 points in the Suns’ 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Durant, a 15-time All Star, was playing his 1,101st career game and is joint-third fastest to the landmark alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Only Wilt Chamberlain (941) and and Michael Jordan (960) got to 30,000 points in fewer games.
“He’s probably the most incredible shotmaker I’ve ever been around and I’ve gone against him a lot of nights, too, so it’s good to be on his side,” the Suns’ coach Mike Budenholzer said of Durant.
“The way he can rise up and shoot over people, his height, his ball-handling. If he’s not the most incredible shotmaker then I’m not sure who is.”
Top scorers in NBA history
- LeBron James – 41,623
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387
- Karl Malone – 36,928
- Kobe Bryant – 33,643
- Michael Jordan – 32,292
- Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560
- Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419
- Kevin Durant – 30,008
Durant, who won two NBA championships in his time with the Golden State Warriors, is a four-time NBA scoring champion and has averaged at least 20 points a game in each of his 17 seasons in the league.
His scoring average of 27.2 is fourth among players to play 500 or more NBA games behind only Jordan (30.1), Chamberlain (30.1) and Elgin Baylor (27.4).
“It’s a true honour to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game, pushed the game forward,” Durant said.
“That’s always been my goal: to get the most out of myself every day and the most out of my career, so to be mentioned with those guys means I’m doing something right.”
Durant, who has also won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA, was given the game ball by Memphis star Ja Morant, who led the Grizzlies with 26 points and six assists.
“He’s one of the greats. He’s one of the greats,” Morant told TNT Sports. “That’s why I honoured him with the ball.
“He said he [didn’t] care too much about it, but hey, [not everyone gets] 30k in this league. Hats off to him, and I hope he keep going. We want to see him out here.”
Elsewhere, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points as the New York Knicks cruised to a 128-115 victory over bitter rivals the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks stay third in the Eastern Conference, a place ahead of the Pacers.
Scottie Barnes had 33 points and 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors inflicted a fourth-straight loss on the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-103.
Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons’ Malik Beasley made seven three-pointers off the bench in a 132-92 thrashing of the Chicago Bulls.
