Rockets’ Kevin Durant eighth ever to reach 31,000 points

Houston– rockets star Kevin Durant Drilled a 10-foot jumper with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter on Friday against phoenix sun Became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 31,000 career points.

Entering the matchup against his former team, Durant needed four points to achieve the milestone. He got there with a pair of free throws and a midrange jumper on his third attempt of the night.

Just two nights earlier, Durant had lamented missing the opportunity to join the company of 31,000-point scorers. Wilt ChamberlainKareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, karl maloneKobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James during a 121-95 win over Sacramento KingsNeeding 28 points to reach the milestone in that contest, Durant played 32 minutes but sat most of the fourth quarter and finished with 8 assists, 3 rebounds and a block to go along with his 24 points,

“Hey, I could [done] That’s it tonight,” Durant quipped after Wednesday’s win when told how close he was. Durant then expressed appreciation for his latest accomplishment when asked if career milestones still lead him to a Hall of Fame career at this stage.

“Yeah, they do. Absolutely yes,” Durant said. “I mean, eight players in the history of the game, it’s crazy.”

Durant remains eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, behind James, Abdul-Jabbar, Malone, Bryant, Jordan, Nowitzki and Chamberlain. If the 15-time NBA All-Star stays healthy, he’ll likely surpass Chamberlain (31,419 points) and Nowitzki (31,560) and maybe even Jordan (32,292) this season.

“I’m always grateful to all my coaches, teammates, the guys who set screens for me, the guys who miss my shots to see me, [have] “Encouraged me throughout my career. I had some teammates who were playing with Russ,” Durant said. [Westbrook]When it comes down to it, he has a lot of importance in my career. steven [Adams] It means a lot in my career. Jeff GreenSo, whenever I touch these milestones I think of my teammates and the journey I have gone through, Even as a child, a lot of people were invested in my life, in my career and wanted to see me do well, So, I am very grateful to him, I always think about it when I achieve such achievements,”