KD passes M. Malone, now 10th all-time scorer

December 2, 2023 ndowd

Kevin Durant sometimes spends idle time surfing YouTube, checking out old clips of NBA greats.

At 35, he continues to earn his spot among them.

Durant moved into 10th place on the NBA’s career scoring list Friday night, passing Moses Malone in the second quarter of the Phoenix Suns‘ 119-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

“It’s a long journey to be up there, mentioned with the greats,” Durant said. “It takes a lot of work, a lot of preparation, a lot of people helping me get to this point.”

Durant hit the mark by driving the baseline for two points with 50.3 seconds left before halftime. He needed 17 points to pass Malone coming into the game, the 1,003rd of his career.

Durant finished with 30 points but shot 8-of-25 from the field, including 0-for-10 in the second half, as he pushed his career total to 27,423. Malone had 27,409 in the NBA after starting his professional career with two seasons in the ABA.

Durant said Malone is one of the more underrated players in the league’s history.

“As a basketball player, I think it’s our job to go back and know the history of the game and who paved the way for us,” Durant said.

The 6-foot-11 Durant is a 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion who has played for the SuperSonics/Thunder, Warriors, Nets and Suns. He played one season in college at Texas before being taken No. 2 in the 2007 NBA draft at 19 years old.

He has been in the NBA for 17 seasons, missing a full year with an Achilles injury, and has averaged more than 27 points per game.

LeBron James tops the scoring list with 39,124 points and is the only other active player in the top 25. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) is second, followed by Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Dirk Nowitzki (31,560), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419), Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) and Carmelo Anthony (28,289).

James took to social media to congratulate Durant on entering the top 10.