Slim Reaper the Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant moved into the top 10 in scoring in NBA history Friday night when a layup gave him 27,411 career points.
Kevin Durant sometimes likes to spends idle time surfing YouTube, checking out old clips of NBA greats.
The 35-year-old continues to earn his spot among them.
The 35-year-old Phoenix forward passed Moses Malone for the No. 10 spot, driving the baseline for two points with 50.3 seconds left in the second quarter. Durant needed 17 points to pass Malone the 1,003rd of his career coming into the game against the Denver Nuggets.
Slim Reaper Kevin Durant Career Profile
Durant finished with 30 points, but shot 8 of 25 from the field — going 0 for 10 in the second half. 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.
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 the University of Texas before being taken No. 2 overall in the 2007 NBA draft at just 19 years old.
He’s been in the NBA for 17 seasons — missing one full year with an Achilles injury — and has averaged more than 27 points. The league’s career scoring leader is LeBron James, who has 39,124 career points.
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
“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.”He added.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,397), 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) round are also in the top 10 on the NBA-only list.
Malone also played two seasons in the ABA. Durant is 13th on the combined NBA/ABA list, with former ABA stars Julius Erving eighth (30,026), Malone ninth (29,580) and Dan Issel 12th (27,482).