Kevin Durant of Rockets joins elite club of eight NBA players with 31,000 career points in victory against Suns

Kevin Durant added another milestone to his legendary career Friday night, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to surpass 31,000 career points. The 37-year-old achieved the feat early in the first quarter of Houston's 117-98 win against his former team, the Phoenix Suns, with a simple 10-foot jumper.

The Rockets acquired Durant in an unprecedented seven-team trade, moving the 15-time All-Star from the Suns. While Phoenix has made strides this season without him, Durant's scoring prowess was unmistakable as he continued to shine in Houston.

Durant, a four-time NBA scoring champion, needed just four points to reach this historic number, joining an elite group alongside LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain. Having surpassed 30,000 points last February, Durant now sets his sights on surpassing Michael Jordans 32,292 points, potentially moving to fifth on the all-time scoring list if he stays healthy.

This season, Durant has averaged 25 points per game with the Rockets, shooting 49.3% overall and 37% from three-point range. In 17 games, he scored 20 or more points 14 times and topped 30 points in six contests. After signing a reported two-year, $90 million extension, Durant continues to excel with what could become the fifth franchise of his career, which began in 2007.

Durant began his scoring journey with the Oklahoma City Thunder, originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics. He has since won two championships with Golden State and starred for Brooklyn, the Suns, and now Houston. His consistency as a scorer has remained a defining feature throughout his 19-year career, highlighted by his 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting against the Suns Friday night.

Author: Natalie Monroe