During the Phoenix Suns' 115-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Durant made history; in need of just nine more points to surpass Shaquille O'Neal for eighth on the all-time scoring leaderboard, Durant scored his ninth and tenth points of the night on a midrange shot with over 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, hitting another milestone in what already is a legendary career for one of the greatest small forwards of all time.
The Suns then made sure to immortalize this feat in Durant's career; during the next pause in the action, the Suns' public address announcer implored the fans at Footprint Center to rise to their feet and give the star a thunderous applause. But the epic gesture did not end there. The Suns also played a message from O'Neal himself, congratulating Durant for his continued rise on the NBA's totem pole.
“Kevin Durant, first of all, I want to congratulate you for passing me to become eighth in the NBA's all-time scoring list. Well-deserved. You know it doesn't stop here. Let's see if you can get to number one [on the all-time scoring list]. I'm happy for you, and congratulations brother,” O'Neal said.
Via Shane Young of Forbes:
Kevin Durant honored by the Suns and Shaq for moving into 8th all time on the scoring list pic.twitter.com/zLxDOGoonm
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 21, 2024
"You know it doesn't stop here… let's see if you can get to [1st all-time]"
Shaq congratulates KD on passing him for 8th on the all-time scoring list 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tuQEUHOgLx
— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2024
A breakdown of Kevin Durant's scoring total
Kevin Durant finished the Suns' win over the 76ers with 22 points, which now brings his career points total to 28,610. Durant has been elite for every team he has played for in the NBA, although it's worth mentioning that Durant scored more than half of his career total during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In nine seasons in OKC, Durant scored a total of 17,566 points — making him a franchise legend through and through. Alas, he won't be getting any recognition for this given how controversial his decision to leave the franchise for the Golden State Warriors in 2016 was.
With the Warriors, he scored 5,374 points, although the most important thing about his stint in the Bay was that he was able to win a championship. He then left the Dubs for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, scoring 3,744 points for Brooklyn in two and a half injury-filled seasons.
Durant requested a trade to the Suns last season, and his request was granted; in 70 games for the Suns to this point, the 35-year old small forward has scored 1,926 points.
As gifted of a scorer as Kevin Durant is, it will be a while before he surpasses the next guy above him on the all-time scoring list. The Suns star needs to score 2,810 more points to surpass Wilt Chamberlain; this would take him two more seasons at least if his current averages hold.
KD took a backseat in the Suns' victory over the 76ers
The Suns were coming off a disappointing loss against a Milwaukee Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Kevin Durant's lack of scoring in the fourth quarter being a huge talking point. Against the 76ers, however, not much changed; Durant ceded control of the offense to Devin Booker, who had 18 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists, while he also allowed Grayson Allen to cook (Allen had 32 points on 9-15 shooting from deep).
Nonetheless, Durant still took the most shots on the team, with 18, and he made them at an efficient clip en route to finishing with 22 points. The Suns, however, may need more from Durant in the coming weeks as they jockey for positioning in the Western Conference standings.
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