HOUSTON — Rockets star Kevin Durant made a 10-foot throw with 6:15 left in the first quarter Friday against Phoenix Suns becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 31,000 career points.
Entering the match against his former team, Durant needed four points to pass the 31,000-point mark. He did it with a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper on his third try of the night.
Just two days earlier, Durant lamented that he missed out on joining the ranks of 31,000-point scorers. Wilt ChamberlainKareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl MaloneKobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron during the team's 121–95 victory. Sacramento Kings. Needing 28 points to reach that milestone, Durant played 32 minutes but missed most of the fourth quarter and finished with 8 assists, 3 rebounds and a blocked shot for 24 points.
“Damn, I could [done] “It's tonight,” Durant joked after Wednesday's win when told how close he was to reaching 31,000 career points. Durant then expressed appreciation for his latest accomplishment when asked if career milestones are moving him toward this stage of what will become a Hall of Fame career.
“Yes, they do. Hell yeah,” Durant said. “I mean, eight players in the history of the game is crazy.”
Durant remains eighth on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind James, Abdul-Jabbar, Malone, Bryant, Jordan, Nowitzki and Chamberlain. If the 15-time NBA All-Star stays healthy, it's likely he'll pass Chamberlain (31,419 points) and Nowitzki (31,560) on the all-time scoring list this season, and perhaps even Jordan (32,292).
“I am always grateful to all my coaches, teammates, guys who set screens for me, who throw their shots to find me, who [have] supported me throughout my career,” Durant said. “I had several teammates who played with Russ. [Westbrook]he's meant a lot to my career when it comes to that. Stephen [Adams] meant a lot in my career. Jeff Green. So, every time I achieve these goals, I tend to think about my teammates and the journey I've been on. Even when I was a child, so many people were invested in my life, in my career, and wanted me to succeed. So I owe them a lot. I always think about that when I hit milestones like this.”
