'It's an honour', says Durant after reaching 30,000 point milestone
Kevin Durant said it was "an honour" to be amongst the greatest point-scorers in NBA history after reaching the 30,000 mark in the Phoenix Suns' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Durant started slowly in the contest, scoring just two points in the opening quarter, but sprung into life in the second, scoring 17 on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting.
But with just over a minute remaining, Durant scored two free throws to reach the milestone, ending the contest with 34 points.
The 36-year-old became the eighth player in NBA history to reach that tally, after Wilt Chamberlain (31,419), Dirk Nowitzki (31,560), Michael Jordan (32,292), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Karl Malone (36,298), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and LeBron James (41,623).
"It's a true honour to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game, push the game forward," Durant said.
"That's always been my goal to get the most out of myself every day. To get the most out of my career.
"To be mentioned with those guys means I'm doing something right for myself."
30K POINTS FOR 35
— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2025
Kevin Durant becomes the 8th player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points! pic.twitter.com/YsERU87rkx
Durant, recently selected for his 15th All-Star appearance, continues to rank among the league’s top scorers in his 17th campaign in the competition.
This season, the American has averaged 27 points per game with a 52% shooting accuracy and remains a dominant offensive force for the Suns.
He tallied 17,566 points across nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were still the Seattle SuperSonics during his rookie year back in 2007-08.
His career totals also include 5,374 points with the Golden State Warriors, 3,744 with the Brooklyn Nets, and 3,324 with the Suns, but could have reached the landmark quicker.
Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season recovering from an Achilles rupture and was limited to just 35 games in 2020-21 and 47 in the 2022-23 campaign.
Nevertheless, Durant has immersed himself among the greats to play the sport, but was quick to thank the support network around him for helping him achieve his goals.
"I feel like all the people that helped me throughout this journey. I always talk about them and how much they mean to me," Durant said.
"How much they impacted me and helped me get to this point.
"Just grateful to all my teammates, coaches, family, friends that supported me and invested in me as a basketball player, so it means a lot."