Kevin Durant continued his ascent on the NBA’s career scoring leaderboard, surpassing Shaquille O’Neal for the eighth spot with 22 points during the Phoenix Suns’ 115-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
At 35 years old, Durant now boasts 28,610 career points. Throughout this season, the 14-time All-Star has eclipsed several legends on the scoring chart, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, and Carmelo Anthony.
Despite his lengthy career, Durant shows no signs of slowing down, averaging nearly 28 points per game in his 17th season, slightly above his career average.
Expressing gratitude for his achievement, Durant remarked, “I’m grateful to be in the category with some of the greatest… So to be up there with him is a major, major honor in my opinion.”
Looking ahead, Durant is likely to require another year before reaching the seventh spot, currently held by Wilt Chamberlain with 31,419 career points.
During the game, the Suns aired a video message from O’Neal, extending congratulations to Durant on surpassing him. O’Neal noted, “You know it doesn’t stop here.”
Among NBA legends, only Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James has scored over 40,000 points, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earlier this season. The top spots on the scoring list are occupied by Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chamberlain.
In total points scored across both the NBA and American Basketball Association, Durant currently holds the tenth spot on the list.
