Throughout his 17-year NBA career, James Harden has compiled an impressive resume that includes an MVP award, three scoring titles, and over a dozen All-NBA and All-Star selections. The Los Angeles Clippers star continued adding to his Hall of Fame resume by reaching another major milestone on Saturday.
The savvy southpaw erupted for 34 points in the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, moving the former MVP into the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Harden, 36, entered the contest needing 20 points to surpass Carmelo Anthony for the No. 10 spot with 28,289 points.
After scoring 19 points before halftime, he surpassed Anthony with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Harden is one of only three guards occupying a top 10 all-time scoring slot. He is one of three active players in the top 10, along with No. 8 Kevin Durant of Houston and 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who tops the list at 42,268 after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) in 2023.
The perennial All-Star reflected on his historic achievement after the 109-106 loss to Minnesota.
“Blessing. A testament to the work I’ve put in,” Harden told reporters. “It’s an honor, especially with somebody like ‘Melo’, who’s done so much greatness for this league.
Next above Harden on the scoring list are Shaquille O’Neal, who is ninth with 28,596, and former teammate Durant, who is eighth with 31,051 points.
“You look at that list, it’s like there’s no way. There’s no way I got an opportunity to be a part of this list. It’s just literally like a dream come true. The work that I literally put in is coming to fruition. There’s so many things that this game has done for me, and I’m sure for all those guys as well. And those names are still being talked about post basketball.”
James Harden is Honored to Be Among Elite Company of Hoopers
GettyJames Harden is one of three guards in the top 10 in NBA scoring
Harden, who is averaging 26.8 points on the season, said he is amazed he made it this far when he looks at those in front of him in the top 10 — LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, Durant and O’Neal.
“I was looking at the list, and it’s like all those guys are way bigger than me, way more athletic than me,” Harden said.
Unlike Jordan and Bryant, who often used their freakish athleticism to generate scoring, Harden noted his route to the NBA’s all-time scoring list top 10 was vastly different.
“They were flying,” Harden said of Bryant and Jordan. “I mean, I’ve been playing everything on the ground. So that’s another reason why I’m proud of myself just because I had to figure out how to maneuver around people.”
Unable to outmuscle his opponents like O’Neal or Chamberlain or sprint by defenders like Jordan, Harden had to find creative ways to manipulate defenders and get buckets. This led to the innovation of his patented step-back jumper, which has since become a league-wide scoring tool.
Since the 2013-14 season, when GeniusIQ began tracking the data, Harden has made nearly 2,000 step-back jumpers and scored more than 5,100 points off those shots, outpacing any other player by more than 1,000 points.
“When I actually started creating, I don’t know if you guys remember, but they were like, ‘He’s traveling! He’s traveling!’ Of course, now literally everybody’s doing it,” Harden said. “It is literally like you created something and it takes a while where everybody [has] to catch on. Now it’s like even the youth, the kids are doing it.
“It’s something that I can really be proud of myself. Obviously, I’m not saying I created [it]. I definitely took it to another level.”
Following his historic milestone, Harden received praise from Durant and his Clippers teammate Kawhi Leonard, who is impressed by his stellar play this deep into his career.
“It’s amazing,” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said of Harden continuing to play at a high level. “He’s [still] doing stuff that these guys, faces of the league, are doing. He is 36 years old. The production level is still there, and you could just see how much work he puts in and how much he cares about the game. Got a lot of blessings from the man above to keep him healthy and he’s still able to move.”
Showing little signs of decline, Harden now has sights set on surpassing O’Neal for No. 9 on the all-time list.
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