NBA: Harden passes Shaq in all-time scoring charts
The Los Angeles Clippers guard starred in the win over the Charlotte Hornets
James Harden moved into ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Monday night, passing Shaquille O’Neal during the Los Angeles Clippers’ 117-109 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The milestone came early in the third quarter when Harden knocked down a three-pointer to take his career total to 28,598 points, edging him past O’Neal’s mark of 28,596.
Harden reached the figure in his 1,187th regular-season game, 20 fewer than O’Neal needed across a 19-year career.
“Shaquille O’Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching here in LA,” Harden said afterwards. “Him and Kobe doing their thing, winning multiple championships, the most dominant big man in the history of the game. It’s a true honor, it’s a testament to the work that I put in.”
Harden began the night 14 points shy of O’Neal and finished with 32 points and 10 assists. He scored 13 points in the first half, including 11 in the opening quarter, before adding 11 more in the third and eight in the fourth to push his career total to 28,614 by the final buzzer.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence this season, entering the game averaging 25.6 points per contest, his highest scoring average since the 2019-20 campaign when he posted 34.3 points per game and won the last of three consecutive scoring titles.
He started the night with 28,582 career points in his 17th NBA season.
Harden now faces a significant gap to climb further up the list. Wilt Chamberlain sits eighth with 31,419 points, achieved in just 1,045 games over 14 seasons. At the top, LeBron James leads the way with 42,601 points entering Monday’s game for the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant.
In addition to his scoring exploits, Harden continues to rank among the league’s most productive playmakers and shooters.
He recently moved into 12th place on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 8,604 and sits second in three-pointers made with 3,291, trailing only Stephen Curry.