Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
With a smooth free throw Tuesday night, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant made NBA history as the eighth player to reach 30,000 points.
Despite a tough 119-112 loss to Memphis, Durant was on fire. He scored 34 points on 12 of 18 shooting, bringing his career total to 30,008.
"It's a true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and pushed the game forward," said Durant to Olympics.com.
Durant hit the milestone in his 1,101st game - matching NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's pace. Only two players got there quicker: Wilt Chamberlain in 941 games and Michael Jordan in 960.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer sees Durant's commitment firsthand. "It's special for everyone who's around him every day. I think we're amazed by him, the way he comes to work, the time he puts in, the attention to detail, the effort."
Durant now joins basketball's elite. The 30,000-point club includes LeBron James, Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chamberlain.
Since Seattle drafted him second in 2007, Durant's been a scoring machine. He racked up 17,566 points in Oklahoma City, put up 5,374 at Golden State, scored 3,744 in Brooklyn, and has 3,324 so far in Phoenix.
His scoring has stayed consistent through 17 seasons. Durant's never averaged below 20 points per year, currently averaging 27.1 points while shooting an impressive 52.8% from the field.
The talented forward won two straight championships with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, earning Finals MVP both times. He also grabbed the 2014 regular season MVP and has made six first-team All-NBA appearances.
With trade rumors floating around, Durant remained in Phoenix after the deadline. He'll be showing up for his 15th All-Star game this weekend in San Francisco.
