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The Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant made history as he became just the eighth player to surpass 30,000 career points. He reached the milestone during the Suns’ 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, as Durant sank a free throw late in the third quarter.
With 30,008 career points and counting, the two time NBA champion now stands alongside 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), and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) in the exclusive 30,000-point club. When including Julius Erving’s combined ABA and NBA totals, Durant becomes the ninth player in professional basketball history to reach this milestone.
KD accomplished the feat in his 1,101st career game, equaling Abdul-Jabbar for the third-fastest player to reach 30,000 points. Only Chamberlain (941 games) and Jordan (960 games) achieved the milestone in fewer games.
After Kevin Durant reached the esteemed milestone, Magic Johnson, considered by many the greatest point guard ever, gave him his flowers. The Lakers legend and businessman took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the 15-time All-Star, writing:
“Congratulations future Hall of Famer and All-Time NBA great Kevin Durant on becoming only the 8th player in NBA History to score over 30,000 points! He’s the 3rd fastest to do so, only behind Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.”
Magic Johnson wasn't the only one to praise Durant. Suns coach Mike Budenholzer lauded Durant’s dedication, stating, “We’re amazed by him, the way he comes to work, the time he puts in, the attention to detail, the effort. It’s translated to 30,000 points. He’s just a special player and a special human being.”
Not only that, the Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, who led his team with 26 points, honored Durant by giving him the game ball after the final buzzer. “He’s one of the greats. Everybody don’t get 30K in this league. Hats off to him,” Morant said after the game.
Durant, 36, has remained one of the league’s most prolific scorers throughout his 17-season career. The four-time NBA scoring champion has maintained an average of at least 20 points per game every season and currently averages 27.1 points per game on 52.8% shooting this season.
He first scored 17,566 points with the Oklahoma City Thunder (including his rookie season with the Seattle SuperSonics). Then, he added 5,374 with the Golden State Warriors, followed by 3,744 with the Brooklyn Nets. Now, he has 3,324 with the Suns.
At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Kevin Durant is nearly unguardable. Nike even honored his Easy Money Sniper nickname with an ad tracking his career points. Despite a major Achilles injury in 2019, he remains one of the league’s most efficient scorers and is on pace to pass Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list.
Nevertheless, stats don’t faze him. With the 11th-seeded Suns (26-27) fighting for a playoff spot, Durant stays focused on winning and doing better in every game. “It’s a true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and pushed the game forward,” Durant said postgame. “That’s always been my goal, to get the most out of myself every day and the most out of my career.”
