CNN —
Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points on Tuesday despite the Phoenix Suns’ 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 15-time NBA All-Star scored a game-high 34 points – shooting 66.7% from the field and going 3-of-4 from deep – as well as recording three rebounds, three assists and five blocks in 43 minutes.
It was his 26th point, a free-throw late in the third quarter, which saw Durant hit the milestone. He joins LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain in the league’s 30,000-point club. Julius Erving also notched a combined 30,026 points between the NBA and the ABA.
Durant, in his 1,101st game, is the joint-third fastest to achieve the feat, alongside Abdul-Jabbar. Only Chamberlain (941 games) and Jordan (960 games) have reached the mark faster.
“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, per NBA.com. “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.”
Now 36 years old, Durant is a four-time NBA scoring champion and was the NBA Finals MVP in each of the two years he lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the Golden State Warriors – 2017 and 2018.
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer was effusive in his praise after Tuesday’s game: “We’re amazed by him. The way he comes to work, the time he puts in, the attention to detail, the effort. And it’s translated to 30,000 points. He’s just a special player and a special human being.”
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was also keen to recognize the achievement. “He’s one of the greats. So I honored him with the ball,” he said.
“He said he ain’t care too much about it but, hey, everybody don’t get 30k in this league, so hats off to him and I hope he keeps going. We want to see him out here.”
With 26 points, Morant was the leading scorer for the Grizzlies, who raced out into the lead early on and would find themselves up by 19 during the second quarter. Phoenix fought back and reduced the deficit to three on Bol Bol’s three-pointer with 2:34 remaining in the game, but Memphis held on for the win.
The team sits second in the Western Conference on 36-17, 10 games ahead of the Suns in 11th.
