Sacramento Kings veteran DeMar DeRozan surpassed Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan on the all-time scoring list in a 117-109 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. DeRozan finished with 39 points on 17-for-22 shooting and moved to 18th on the NBA's all-time list.
DeRozan responded to the historic night after the loss, per The Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson.
“I don’t take nothing in this game for granted,” DeRozan said. “I never would have imagined coming into the league I would be playing this long, I would have the opportunities I’ve had, I would accomplish things I have. “Me just being a fan of the game my whole entire life, it’s an honor to be in a position to accomplish any type of goal in this league. It’s crazy to be in that position, and I don’t take none of this for granted.
“I just love playing basketball at the end of the day, and at the end of the day, you look up and things like this happen. It’s definitely cool.”
DeRozan, 36, in his 17th NBA season, passed Tim Duncan while closing in on Hall of Fame forward Dominque Wilkins (26,668), who is 17th on the all-time scoring list. DeRozan has 26,505 career points.
DeMar DeRozan teases retirement amid Kings' trying season
Kings veteran DeMar DeRozan discussed the end of his career as the unknown in a recent interview. DeRozan revealed that he does not know when he will play in the last game of his NBA career, per SacTown Sports 1140.
“Yeah, I mean everybody got to find their own joy, whatever way that is. For me, you know, you can't take these moments for granted,” DeRozan told reporters on Wednesday, via SacTown Sports 1140. “Just being able to play the game of basketball. You know, me 17 years in, you never know when your last game going to be.
For DeRozan, the joy that basketball still brings at this stage of his career is the drive that keeps him going.
