Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant continues to push himself deeper into NBA history books.
Heading into tonight's matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Durant needed just 17 points to pass the great Moses Malone (and his 27,409 points) to enter the NBA's top ten all-time scoring list.
Durant broke into the top ten on a dribble drive and finish off the glass off of his left hand late in the first half. He then subsequently rattled off two more buckets to close the Suns' 16-point deficit to 7 at the half.
Suns PA announcer Vince Marotta shouted out Durant for breaking through the milestone at the conclusion of the half.
Durant, a future inductee of the Basketball Hall of Fame, sat at No. 13 on the list entering the 2023-24 season before passing Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon in recent games. His passing of Hayes back on Nov. 21 also marked his 1,000th career game in the NBA.
Prior to the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was asked about Durant:
“What a unique talent. I was in Cleveland with LeBron (James) many years ago when Kevin Durant was a rookie for Seattle (SuperSonics). I just remember seeing him as a rookie and all of looking at him like, ‘ wow this kid has a chance to be special. ’
"When you look at the size, the length, the skill, the shooting and the ability to get his own shot and raise up and shoot over you whenever he wants has always stood out. I think the thing I admire about him is he has done it his own way. He hasn’t tried to be anyone other than Kevin Durant. I think there is a lot to be said for that. When young players come in the league, everyone wants to say he is the next...
"Kevin Durant was never the next anybody . He was the first Kevin Durant and you have to respect that about him.”
Durant has some monster names to surpass if he's to enter the top five:
10. Moses Malone (27,409)
9. Carmelo Anthony (28,289)
8. Shaquille O'Neal (28,596)
7. Wilt Chamberlain (31,419)
6. Dirk Nowitzki (31,560)
5. Michael Jordan (32,292)
Good friend LeBron James - the only active player in the top ten - currently leads the way after snatching the honor from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season.
Durant was fairly happy to pass Olajuwon, and surely after the game he'll touch on what the new accomplishment means to him.
Durant was the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and is a two-time NBA champion (winning Finals MVP in both cases) with 13 NBA All-Star nods and one league MVP attached to his resume.
This season, Durant has found his stride in a major way by averaging 31.3 points on 52% shooting. He's also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night.
The Suns recently saw their seven-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday's loss to the Toronto Raptors. Phoenix holds a record of 11-7 on the year thus far entering tonight.
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