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Ohm Youngmisuk
LA Clippers star James Harden entered the NBA’s top 10 of all-time scorers, surpassing Carmelo Anthony at No. 10 on the list during Saturday’s 109-106 loss to the host Minnesota Timberwolves.
Entering the night needing 21 points to pass Anthony’s total of 28,289, Harden scored 19 in the first half before passing him with two free throws at 4:23 of the third quarter. He finished with 34 points, bringing his career total to 28,303.
“Blessing. A testament to the work I’ve put in,” Harden said after the game. “It’s an honor, especially with somebody like Melo, who’s done so much greatness for this league.”
Next above Harden on the scoring list are Shaquille O’Neal, who is ninth with 28,596, and former teammate Kevin Durant, who is eighth with 31,051 points.
“You look at that list, it’s like there’s no way,” Harden said this week of being in the top 10. “There’s no way I got an opportunity to be a part of this list. It’s just literally like a dream come true. The work that I literally put in is coming to fruition. There’s so many things that this game has done for me, and I’m sure for all those guys as well.
“And those names are still being talked about post basketball.”
Harden, who is averaging 26.8 points on the season, said he is amazed he made it this far when he looks at those in front of him in the top 10 — LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain, Durant and O’Neal.
“I was looking at the list, and it’s like all those guys are way bigger than me, way more athletic than me,” Harden said.
Harden is one of only three guards in the top 10, along with Bryant (33,643) and Jordan (32,292), who are fourth and fifth all time, respectively.
“They were flying,” Harden said of Bryant and Jordan. “I mean, I’ve been playing everything on the ground. So that’s another reason why I’m proud of myself just because I had to figure out how to maneuver around people.”
Harden has had to work hard to score his points, many coming off his greatest weapon — the step-back jumper. He takes pride in that move, which helped change the way basketball has been played at every level. Since 2013-14, when GeniusIQ began tracking the data, Harden has made nearly 2,000 step-back jumpers and scored more than 5,100 points off those shots, outpacing any other player by more than 1,000 points.
“When I actually started creating, I don’t know if you guys remember, but they were like, ‘He’s traveling! He’s traveling!’ Of course, now literally everybody’s doing it,” Harden said. “It is literally like you created something and it takes a while where everybody [has] to catch on. Now it’s like even the youth, the kids are doing it.
“It’s something that I can really be proud of myself. Obviously, I’m not saying I created [it]. I definitely took it to another level.”
Last season, Harden passed Ray Allen for second on the career 3-pointers list, sitting behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry. Harden is at 3,255 3-pointers, but he said he isn’t likely to catch Curry, who is at 4,111.
“It’s amazing,” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said of Harden continuing to play at a high level. “He’s [still] doing stuff that these guys, faces of the league, are doing. He is 36 years old. The production level is still there, and you could just see how much work he puts in and how much he cares about the game. Got a lot of blessings from the man above to keep him healthy and he’s still able to move.”
Harden wonders where he would be had he not been traded from Oklahoma City, where he spent his first three seasons as a sixth man, to Houston, where his career took off. In his eight-plus seasons in Houston, Harden averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds. He had a prolific three-year stretch where he won three consecutive scoring titles, averaging 30.4 points, 36.1 points and 34.3 points from 2018 to 2020, respectively. Harden was named MVP in 2017-18.
“Life-changing,” Harden said of the trade to Houston. “What would’ve happened or what could have happened [if that trade doesn’t happen]. I probably wouldn’t have been able to be who I am, as far as creating an entire James Harden movement. I’m on my 10th signature shoe.
“All these things probably wouldn’t have happened if I was there. I possibly could have been a champion. Who knows? Possibly. But so I’m grateful.”
Harden said he isn’t sure how much longer he can keep playing and who he can catch ahead of him. James, who is first on the list at 42,268 points, is in his 23rd season.
Asked if there was a time in a game or season when he felt he simply couldn’t miss, Harden said, “I feel like that still.”