Kevin Durant achieved a lot during his time with Oklahoma City.
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns star has a chance to hit another big milestone in the same arena where he played for eight seasons, if he plays in the game.
Durant needs 26 points in the Suns’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points.
The only players ahead of Durant on the all-time scoring list are LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Durant scored the first 17,566 regular-season points of his career with the Thunder. His rookie year was in Seattle, but the team moved to Oklahoma City for his next eight seasons.
On Tuesday, the Suns listed Durant (left ankle sprain) as doubtful for the game, which was a surprise. Phoenix might be looking to trade the 15-time All-Star before Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Suns enter the game having lost two straight games in Portland and three of their last four games.
Their most recent loss was 121-119 in overtime to the Trail Blazers on Monday.
In that game, Devin Booker became the Suns’ career scoring leader, surpassing Hall of Famer Walter Davis. Booker now has 15,678 points for Phoenix.
Booker said he doesn’t take for granted playing his whole career so far with one team.
“It’s rare in this league for people to do what the Tim Duncans and Dirk Nowitzkis and Kobe Bryants did, staying with one team,” Booker said. “I came in at 18, not knowing what to expect.”
There was a time when it seemed like Durant might do the same, leading the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals. But in 2016, Durant signed with Golden State and helped the Warriors win titles in his first two years there.
Devin Booker and Kevin DurantAfter leaving Oklahoma City, Durant faced a lot of anger when he returned, though the tension has lessened over time.
Things have gotten easier for Durant because the Thunder have been successful in recent years, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerging as a star.
Gilgeous-Alexander is having an impressive season, leading the NBA with 32.5 points per game. Among the top 10 scorers in the league — including Durant and Booker — Gilgeous-Alexander plays the fewest minutes, averaging 34.1 minutes per game.
The Thunder have been outscoring opponents by 12.7 points per game. In their last two wins, they won by an average of 31.5 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 63 points in those wins over Sacramento and Milwaukee, not playing in the fourth quarter of either game.
After being pulled midway through the third quarter against Milwaukee, Gilgeous-Alexander showed some frustration.
“I would like to play as much as I can,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I wake up, come to the game to compete. Coach (Mark Daigneault) decides how much I play, but I want to play as much as possible.”
Wednesday’s game is the second of three between the two teams this season. Oklahoma City won the first game, 99-83, on Nov. 15, with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 28 points in just under 33 minutes.
Durant missed that game due to a calf injury. The Thunder have won 24 of their last 28 games.
