Kevin Durant has consistently been one of the top scorers in the NBA during his time in the league. He has been the league-leader in points per game on four different occasions, and hasn’t averaged fewer than 25 points in any year since his rookie campaign. He has been hampered by various injuries over the past few seasons, but was very durable during his first 10–12 years in the league, giving him the opportunity at high-volume production.
Durant Now In 9th Place On All-Time Scoring List
Last night, Kevin Durant surpassed Carmelo Anthony for 9th on the ALL-TIME SCORING list 🔥
KD has played in 224 fewer games than Melo.
Still EASY MONEY SNIPER 👀 pic.twitter.com/eeLnoJhrk2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 24, 2024
Durant began the 2023-24 NBA season in 14th place on the all-time scoring list. He had passed the likes of Tim Duncan, Oscar Robertson, and Dominique Wilkins last year, and had his sights set firmly on the top-10 and beyond.
He has passed some of the game’s greats lately. Hakeem Olajuwon’s 26,946 point total was passed early on in the season, which was followed by Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone. But on Friday night, Durant passed a perhaps more recognizable name to the younger generation.
While their offensive games were on different levels, there were few scorers in NBA history with the bucket-getting ability of Carmelo Anthony. While he only led the league in scoring on a single occasion, Anthony was consistent enough to rise into the top-10 on the all-time list, where he has been sitting since his playing career ended a couple of years back.
Durant Should Pass Shaq In The Coming Weeks
In honor of KD passing Melo for 9th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list last night…
Check out this 2008 battle filled with buckets between Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant 🍿 pic.twitter.com/FtWpjxOkM8
— NBA (@NBA) February 24, 2024
But Durant’s 28 points in Phoenix’s loss to the Rockets on Friday night was enough for him to pass Melo, pushing Anthony down into 10th place while elevating himself up to 9th.
It is another notch in the accomplishment belt for Durant, and he won’t have far to go to move into 8th place, either. Shaquille O’Neal finished his illustrious career with 28,596 points, which is exactly 300 higher than Durant’s current total. Should he continue at his current pace of 28 points per game, he would pass Shaq on the list within the next 10 to 11 games.
If Durant remains healthy, then the moment could happen in a nationally televised game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, March 17th.
Phoenix had dropped three of their last five contests, and are currently sitting in the 8th spot in the Western Conference.
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