Kevin Durant has proven to be one of the best scorers in NBA history and Tuesday night just highlighted that. He became the eighth player in the history of the NBA to score at least 30,000 points. He was questionable for this game against the Memphis Grizzlies and instead was able to play through the ankle injury. Let’s take a look at what Kevin Durant has done in his career and who he joins on the list of the best scorers we have ever seen on a basketball court.
Kevin Durant: 30,000 Points
It is no secret that Kevin Durant is one of the most gifted scorers that has ever been in the sport. He has done everything you could do during his 17-year career thus far and is now the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points as he knocked down a pair of free throws late in the third quarter. Durant is now the eighth player in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point ledger as below are the seven other players ahead of him and their current point totals:
- 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
- Wilt Chamberlain: 31,419
Kevin Durant is a two-time scoring champion and entered tonight’s action seventh in the league with 26.9 points per game on 52.4% from the floor, 39.8% from the 3-point line, and 82.7% from the free-throw line. He is still under contract for another season at $54.7 million in the 2025-26 season so he is going to continue scoring and it will be interesting to see how high he could climb depending on how long Durant decides to play, he could realistically get as high as third with his shooting ability.
The Phoenix Suns have certainly needed Kevin Durant to score as much as he has been throughout the season as they are currently on the outside of the playoff picture in 11th place in the Western Conference despite having elite scoring options like shooting guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. With the All-Star break coming up this week, it will be interesting to see how the Suns are able to play down the stretch and if they can not only make the play-in, but be one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference.
