Kevin Durant now eighth NBA player to score 30,000 career points. How high can he climb?

Posted by author February 12, 2025 NBA

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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, one of the greatest players and scorers in basketball history, became just the eighth NBA player to reach 30,000 career points, hitting the mark Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Durant got to 30,000 with his 26th point Tuesday. He finished with 34 and now has 30,008 career points. He trails Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (31,560) for seventh and sixth place, respectively, on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Had Durant not missed the 2019-20 season recovering from an Achilles rupture and not been limited to 35 games in 2020-21 and 47 games in 2022-23, he would already be higher on the list with a chance to become a top-three scorer behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Durant is now tied with Abdul-Jabbar as the third-fastest to 30,000 points, achieving the feat in his 1,101st game.

Even with those missed games, Durant still has an opportunity to finish above Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, depending on how much longer he plays.

At 6-foot-11 with a spectacular jump shot and shooter’s touch, Durant has been able to score from all spots – inside, mid-range and 3-point distance. For his career, he shoots 50.1% from the field, 38.7% on 3s and 88.2% on free throws.

Durant is a four-time scoring champ with a career average of 27.2 points. He earned the 2013-14 MVP and is a two-time Finals MVP with Golden State in 2017 and 2018. He has made the All-NBA team 11 times and this season became the seventh player to earn at least 15 All-Star selections.

Among players who have played at least 800 games, Durant has the fourth-highest scoring average behind Jordan, Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.