Durant becomes 8th player to reach NBA's 30K points milestone
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant eclipsed 30,000 career points Tuesday, reaching the mark on third-quarter free throws against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Durant is the eighth player to achieve the milestone, joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and longtime foe LeBron James.
| Rank | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James | 41623 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38387 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36928 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33643 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 32292 |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31560 |
| 7 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31419 |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | 30008 |
Durant finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting (3-of-4 from deep), bringing his career point total to 30,008. He also had a season-high five blocks to complement three rebounds and three assists. However, his effort wasn't enough to help his Suns win: Phoenix lost 119-112 and fell below .500 for the first time since Jan. 14.
Immediately after the final buzzer sounded in Phoenix, Grizzlies star Ja Morant handed Durant the game ball as a sign of respect.
"He's one of the greats," Morant told TNT's Taylor Rooks postgame. "Everybody don't get 30K in this league. So hats off to him and I hope he keeps going. We want to see him out here."
Among active players, Durant sits second behind James and just over 3,000 points ahead of Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden. Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry round out the top five among players still in the Association.
Durant, 36, entered Tuesday's action averaging 26.9 points in his 17th season. He was also registering 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks while posting 52.4/39.8/82.7 shooting splits.