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0 Kevin Durant moved former Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal into eighth place in the NBA by hitting a mid-range shot with 10:22 left in the third quarter at Trail Center on Wednesday night. O’Neal tied O’Neal with eight points in the first half and scored 22 points as the Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 115-102, increasing his career total to 28,610.
Durant has been a consistent scorer throughout his career, averaging just under 25 points per game in his rookie season. He won four championships and his relationships were key to his success. The only thing holding Durant back is injury, but his scoring average has reached its highest level in the last three seasons since his Achilles tendon rupture.
At the post-game press conference, Durant expressed his gratitude for being in the same category as some of the best players in NBA history. He said: “We all know what Shaq means to the game of basketball. It’s great to be associated with him, it’s very prestigious.” The players before him are LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.
Aside from his impressive scoring, Durant also made 9,817 field goals (17th all-time), 1,997 three-pointers (16th all-time), 6,957 free throws (10th all-time).
Durant’s work is very good. He started the 2022-23 season ranked 21st all-time, but by the end of the season he had surpassed many NBA legends and rose to 13th place. Durant outperformed Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Carmelo Anthony and O’Neal in his first season with the Suns.
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