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Om Youngmisuk
LA Clippers starjames hardenHe entered the NBA’s top 10 scorers of all-time, passing Carmelo Anthony, who is No. 10 on the list, during Saturday’s 109-106 loss to the hosts. minnesota timberwolves,
Entering the night needing 21 points to surpass Anthony’s total of 28,289, Harden scored 19 points in the first half before passing him with two free throws at 4:23 of the third quarter. He finished with 34 points, bringing his career point total to 28,303.
“A blessing. A testament to the work I’ve done,” Harden said after the game. “It’s an honor, especially for someone like Melo, who has done such a great thing for this league.”
Above Harden on the scoring list is Shaquille O’Neal, who is ninth with 28,596, and former teammate Kevin DurantWho is in eighth place with 31,051 marks.
“You look at that list, it seems like there’s no way,” Harden said about being in the top 10 this week. “There’s no way I’m getting a chance to be on this list. It’s literally a dream come true. The work I’ve put in is coming true. This game has done a lot of things for me, and I’m sure for all those people, too.”
“And those names are still being talked about after basketball.”
Harden, who is averaging 26.8 points on the season, said when he looks at the guys in front of him in the top 10 he’s surprised they made it this far – Lebron JamesKareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, Durant and O’Neal.
“I was looking at the list, and it seemed like all those guys were way bigger than me, way more athletic than me,” Harden said.
Harden is one of only three guards in the top 10, along with Bryant (33,643) and Jordan (32,292), who are fourth and fifth, respectively.
“They were flying,” Harden said of Bryant and Jordan. “I mean, I’m playing everything on the field. So that’s another reason I’m proud of myself because I had to figure out how to deal with people.”
Harden has had to work hard to get his points, with many of the points coming from his biggest weapon – the step-back jumper. He is proud of the move, which helped change the way basketball is played at every level. Since 2013–14, when GeniusIQ began tracking data, Harden has made nearly 2,000 step-back jumpers and scored more than 5,100 points from those shots, surpassing 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 virtually everyone is doing it,” Harden said. “It’s literally like you’ve built something and it takes a little time for everyone [has] To catch. Now it seems that even the youth and children are doing this.
“It’s something I can be really proud of. Obviously, I’m not saying I made it [it]I definitely took it to another level,”
Last season, Harden passed Ray Allen for second place on the career 3-pointers list golden state‘SStephen CurryHarden is on 3,255 3-pointers, but he said he’s unlikely to catch Curry, who is on 4,111,
“It’s amazing,” Clippers starkawhi leonardSaid about Harden continuing to play at a high level. “he is [still] He’s doing everything that these guys, the faces of the league, are doing. He is 36 years old. The production level is still there, and you can see how much work he puts in and how much he cares about the game. “He received a lot of blessings from above to keep him healthy and he is still able to walk.”
Harden wonders where he would be if he wasn’t traded Oklahoma CityHe spent his first three seasons as a sixth man in Houston, where his career began. Over his eight seasons in Houston, Harden averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds. He had a long three-year run where he won three consecutive scoring titles from 2018 to 2020, averaging 30.4 points, 36.1 points and 34.3 points respectively. Harden was named MVP in 2017–18.
“Life is changing,” Harden said of the trade to Houston. “What might have happened or what could have happened [if that trade doesn’t happen]I probably wouldn’t be who I am as far as creating the whole James Harden movement goes, I’m on my 10th signature shoe,
“If I had been there, maybe all these things wouldn’t have happened. I could have possibly been a champion. Who knows? Possibly. But that’s why I’m grateful.”
Harden said he’s not sure how long he can play and who he can hold ahead of him. James, who leads the list with 42,268 points, is in his 23rd season.
Asked if there was ever a time in a game or season when he felt he could not miss, Harden said, “I still feel that way.”
