Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

NBA Announces James Harden Milestone on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 1:53 AM ET

James Harden has established himself as one of the NBA's top scorers. The Los Angeles Clippers faced the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, and Harden had an outstanding scoring night. The 11-time All-Star had 32 points on a not-so-efficient 11-for-28 shooting, leading to a 117-109 win. The star guard added four rebounds, 10 assists and four steals.

Early in the third quarter (at around the 9:14 mark), Harden had a career milestone when he surpassed NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal for the ninth spot on the all-time scoring list. O'Neal had 28,596 points in his decorated 19-year career.

Harden entered the game with 28,582 career points. He had 13 points in the first half. Then a pull-up shot from 3-point range put his name deeper in the top 10 scorers of all-time.

LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After making the shot, the NBA recognized Harden with a post on X.

"JAMES HARDEN PASSES SHAQ FOR NINTH ON THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST " the league posted.

JAMES HARDEN PASSES SHAQ FOR NINTH ON THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST pic.twitter.com/Y0vwgaLpT0
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2026

James Harden reveals his thoughts after surpassing O'Neal

Passing one of the all-time great centers in the history books was a special moment for Harden. After the game, he revealed his thoughts and what he felt when he reached the scoring milestone.

“Shaquille O’Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching, being from LA,” Harden said. “Him and Kobe (Bryant) doing they thing, winning multiple championships. The most dominant big man in the history of the game. It's a true honor.

"The most dominant big man in the history of the game. It's a true honor."

James Harden reflected on how it felt to pass Shaq on the NBA all-time scoring list after he grew up in LA watching Shaq and Kobe. pic.twitter.com/UMClvQ6lfx
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) January 13, 2026

“It’s a testament to the work that I put in, and it’s all glory to God.”

Harden is one of the best scorers in the modern league. While he isn't scoring like he used to, the 2018 NBA MVP can still make defenders pay with his crafty scoring. The 2012 Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 25.6 points this season on 36.3% shooting from deep.

The star guard won three scoring titles and has a career average of 24.1 points per game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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