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Leading into Wednesday’s game between the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Durant sat in ninth place in the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He needed nine points to pass Shaquille O’Neal’s tally of 28,596 for eighth. KD accomplished the feat with his trademark mid-range jump shot early in the third quarter.
O’Neal wasn’t the only NBA legend Durant surpassed on the career points list. He overtook four others to push himself higher on the totem pole. With Wilt Chamberlain roughly 3,000 points away in seventh place, Durant will stay on his rung for probably two more seasons.
Kevin Durant had 26,892 points heading into his 2023-24 campaign with the Phoenix Suns. KD was 13th, just ahead of the great Oscar Robertson, on the career points ladder when the season opened. Durant passed some of the game’s best bucket-getters before moving past Shaq.
Kevin Durant jumps over five NBA legends to reach eighth place in the all-time scoring list
#5 Hakeem Olajuwon
When the season started, Hakeem Olajuwon was 12th with 26,946 career points, only 54 points ahead of Kevin Durant.
It took Durant two games to surpass “The Dream” on the list. After an 18-point output on opening night, he had 39 points against the LA Lakers to whizz past Olajuwon.
#4 Elvin Hayes
It took a while for the former OKC Thunder to chase down Elvin Hayes’ 27,313 points.
Durant was 421 behind him when the season started. In his 1,000th career game, KD passed Hayes after dropping 31 points on the Portland Trail Blazers. He needed 14 points to surpass the total leading into the Blazers matchup.
KD was now on the brink of breaking into the top 10 of one of the NBA’s most enviable groups.
#3 Moses Malone
Moses Malone’s 27,409 points for 10th in the all-time scoring list didn’t last long after Kevin Durant passed Elvin Hayes.
KD needed 17 points to break the mark heading into a showdown with Nikola Jokic and the defending champs. He accomplished the feat with under a minute left in the second quarter, finishing with 30 points to zoom past Malone into the top 10.
#2 Carmelo Anthony
Up next in Kevin Durant’s sights was a player he knows very well. KD and Carmelo Anthony had had some memorable battles. “Melo” was the Phoenix Suns superstar’s next target with 28,289 career points.
On Feb. 23, 2024, Durant moved past his good friend for ninth in the all-time points ladder. A fourth-quarter free throw allowed KD to reach a new rung in the scoring ladder. The “Slim Reaper” was exactly 300 points from tying Shaquille O’Neal’s mark.
#1 Shaquille O’Neal
After shattering Carmelo Anthony’s total points, Kevin Durant moved in quickly on Shaquille O’Neal’s record.
It took KD 12 games since passing “Melo” to supplant the legendary LA Lakers center for eighth in the all-time scoring list. Durant played 159 fewer games to reach O’Neal’s tally.
