PHOENIX — Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points, hitting the mark with a free throw late in the third quarter of a 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
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.
“A true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shaped the game and push the game forward,” Durant said after the loss. “That’s always been my goal, to get the most out of myself every day, and the most out of my career.”
Durant is a four-time NBA scoring champion and remains one of the league’s elite shotmakers in his 17th NBA season. He’s averaging about 27 points per game while shooting 52%. He 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 has also played for the Golden State Warriors (5,374 points) and Brooklyn Nets (3,744) in addition to the Suns (3,324).
“He’s probably one of the most incredible shotmakers I’ve ever been around,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “And I’ve gone against him a lot of nights, too. So, it’s nice to be on his side. The way he can rise up and shoot over people — his height, his ball handling. If he’s not the most incredible shotmaker, I’m not sure who is.”
Memphis guard Ja Morant, in his postgame, on-court interview on TNT, concurred with Budenholzer, adding that “he’s one of the greats. 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.”
Durant, later in his postgame media availability, was told that Nowitzki and Hakeem Olajuwon lauded his accomplishment, and he was more than appreciative.
“Especially those two,” Durant said. “I mean, I stole so much from Dirk and Hakeem that it’s criminal. I’ve just always been inspired by the greats, always wanted to reach their level. This is an exciting time to be an NBA player. But I’ve always been inspired by those guys. And to be in their company, is just surreal.”
The feat comes less than a week after an eventful trade deadline full of speculation that the franchise was open to dealing the superstar.
“It’s just part of the business,” Durant told reporters at practice Monday. “Everybody’s bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction, so I understand that. It’s just about getting back on the court and trying to go out and play the game that I love. It’s part of the business, though — we’ve all got to understand that.”
The Suns ended up having a relatively quiet trade deadline, dealing disgruntled center Jusuf Nurkic to the Charlotte Hornets but keeping the rest of their core intact. The team’s big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal is still together as the franchise tries to gain ground in the standings.
Durant finished with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting in Tuesday’s loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.