James Harden on the Verge of Passing Lakers Legend, Making NBA History

He averaged 22.8 points per game, including multiple 30-point performances and a 50-point game against the Detroit Pistons late in the season.

Harden's prolific ability to score in bunches, including a heavy isolation-style approach to the point guard position, propelled the Clippers to the playoff mix in the Western Conference without Kawhi Leonard for half of the season.

Now, he is looking to reach another new height in the 2025-2026 season.

A Chance to Pass Shaq

Okay, let's do the math.

The legendary center, Hall of Famer, and Los Angeles Laker great Shaquille O'Neal finished his career with 28,596 points, good for 11th, while James Harden is currently sitting at 27,687 career points, good for 13th on the all-time points list.

That puts Harden only 909 points behind O'Neal, with a chance to surpass him in quick work this upcoming season.

In the 2024-2025 season, Harden scored a whopping 1,802 points in 79 games, averaging 22.8 points in those, and with him being a consistently high-volume scorer throughout his career, he showed that he can still produce at a high level offensively.

Very few expect Harden to play in a full 82-game schedule, but if he did, he would only need to average a minimum of 11.1 points per game to reach O'Neal.

Even if he plays fewer games, which is highly likely even with him playing 79 last season, his 22.8 points per game show that he would reach that milestone in less than half of the season.

Harden's Crucial 2025-2026 Season

The noise is already loud. The criticism is still intense. But Harden fought through all of that last season before the Clippers won 50 games and secured the fifth spot in the Western Conference.

Now, even amid allegations against the team, there is no doubt that the Clippers roster is stacked. Adding Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, John Collins, and Chris Paul will surely take a lot off of James Harden's shoulders.