PHOENIX — Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points, hitting the mark on Tuesday night with a free throw late in the third quarter.
The 36-year-old Phoenix Suns forward, who recently was voted to his 15th All-Star team, joins LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain in the 30,000-point club. Julius Erving also hit the mark when combining his points scored in the NBA and ABA.
“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. “That’s always been my goal is to get the most out of myself every day, get the most out of my career. To be mentioned with those guys, I must be doing something right.”
Durant is a four-time NBA scoring champion and remains one of the league’s elite shot makers in his 17th NBA season. He’s averaging about 27 points per game while shooting 52% from the field.
“It’s special for everyone who’s around him every day,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think 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.”
Durant scored 17,566 points over his first nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the Seattle SuperSonics during his first season in 2007-08. He’s also played for the Golden State Warriors (5,374 points), Brooklyn Nets (3,744) and the Suns (3,324).
Durant finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the Suns’ 119-112 loss.
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