Just 10 days and four games after leaving Allen Iverson behind in the NBA’s scoring annals, Kevin Durant has caught and surpassed the reigning 3-point king, Ray Allen, for 24th on the league’s all-time points leaderboard.
Durant entered Sunday’s (PHT) action with 24,484 points and scored 28 more in the Nets’ 111-107 loss to the Bulls. That leapfrogged Allen at 24,505, leaving Durant with 24,512 and a next-man-up target of Patrick Ewing at 24,815.
With 5:40 remaining in Saturday’s game, Durant curled around a screen on the right wing, gaining a crucial step and full head of steam as he turned the corner. James Harden, searching for an opening, found it and delivered a one-handed bounce pass that connected in stride. Durant gathered, pulled up just outside the restricted area and sank the 8-foot fadeaway to break a tie with Allen.
Averaging 28.6 ppg on the season — the third-best mark of his 14-year career — it should take Durant roughly 11 games to catch the Knicks legend. Another 13 after that and we could see KD pass “The Logo”, given that No. 22 Jerry West sits at 25,192.
NBA Leaders All-Time Career Points Scored
| RANK | PLAYER | GAMES PLAYED | POINTS SCORED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,560 | 38,387 |
| 2 | Karl Malone | 1,476 | 36,928 |
| 3 | LeBron James | 1,318 | 35,674* |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 1,346 | 33,643 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 1,072 | 32,292 |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 1,522 | 31,560 |
| 7 | Wilt Chamberlain | 1,045 | 31,419 |
| 8 | Shaquille O’Neal | 1,207 | 28,596 |
| 9 | Carmelo Anthony | 1,210 | 27,713* |
| 10 | Moses Malone | 1,329 | 27,409 |
| 11 | Elvin Hayes | 1,303 | 27,313 |
| 12 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 1,238 | 26,946 |
| 13 | Oscar Robertson | 1,040 | 26,710 |
| 14 | Dominique Wilkins | 1,074 | 26,668 |
| 15 | Tim Duncan | 1,392 | 26,496 |
| 16 | Paul Pierce | 1,343 | 26,397 |
| 17 | John Havlicek | 1,270 | 26,395 |
| 18 | Kevin Garnett | 1,462 | 26,071 |
| 19 | Vince Carter | 1,541 | 25,728 |
| 20 | Alex English | 1,193 | 25,613 |
| 21 | Reggie Miller | 1,389 | 25,279 |
| 22 | Jerry West | 932 | 25,192 |
| 23 | Patrick Ewing | 1,183 | 24,815 |
| 24 | KEVIN DURANT | 906 | 24,512* |
| 25 | Ray Allen | 1,300 | 24,505 |
| 26 | Allen Iverson | 914 | 24,368 |
* = Active
