NBA: Durant becomes eighth player to reach 30,000 career points

Kevin Durant on Tuesday night became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points as the Phoenix Suns lost 119-112 to the Memphis Grizzlies at Footprint Center.

Durant, who scored 34 points against the Grizzlies, reached the milestone with a free throw in the third quarter in his 1,101st career game.

The 36-year-old also became the joint-third fastest to achieve this feat alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He joins an exclusive list that includes LeBron James (41,623), Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32.292), Dirk Nowitzki (31,560), and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419).

30K POINTS FOR 35 😤

Kevin Durant becomes the 8th player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points! pic.twitter.com/YsERU87rkx

— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2025

“Man, it’s a true honour to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and push the game forward,” said Durant on reaching 30,000 career points. “And that’s always been my goal, is to get the most out of myself every day and the most out of my career.

“So to be mentioned with those guys means I’m doing something right with myself. I feel like I’m, you know, all the people that helped me out throughout this journey. I always talk about them and how much they mean to me and how much they impacted me to help me get to this point.

“So, you know, I’m just grateful for my teammates coaches, family, friends that just poured in me, invested in me as a basketball player. So it means a lot.”

The 15-time All-Star has averaged at least 20 points in every season and is scoring 27.1 points per game this season while shooting 52.8% from the field and 40.4% from the 3-point line.

Durant scored 17,566 points over his first nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics. He’s also played for the Golden State Warriors (5,374 points), Brooklyn Nets (3,744), and the Phoenix Suns (3,324).

The four-time Olympic gold medallist currently has 30,008 career points—and counting.