Kevin Durant: 'A True Honor' to Join Jordan, LeBron, More in NBA 30K Point Club

Kevin Durant made history on Tuesday night when he became the eighth NBA player ever to reach 30,000 career points in the Phoenix Suns' 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Durant called it "a true honor" to join a group of legends that includes Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.

"A true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shaped the game and push the game forward," he said. "That's always been my goal, to get the most out of myself every day, and the most out of my career."

Durant has been one of the most prolific scorers since entering the NBA as a 19-year-old in the 2007-08 season. He has never averaged fewer than 20.3 points per game in a season.

The future Hall of Famer is one of four players in league history to win at least four scoring titles. He did it four times in a five-season span from 2009-10 to 2013-14 while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Even now in his 17th season, the 36-year-old remains a scoring machine. He's averaging 27.1 points per game in 40 starts. The only players who got to the 30,000-point mark in fewer games than Durant's 1,101 are Chamberlain (1,045) and Jordan (1,072).

Barring some late-season collapse, Durant will join James and Malone as the only players in NBA history to average at least 25 points per game at the age of 36 or older.

The only downside for Durant's historic night is it came in yet another loss for the Suns. They have dropped six of their last eight games and are now 11th in the Western Conference with a 26-27 record.

Durant and the Suns will get a breather after Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets with the All-Star break set to begin. They will come out of the break playing four straight games on the road, starting with a showdown against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 20.

If the Suns miss the playoffs, it will be Durant's first time not in the postseason since the 2019-20 season when he was unable to play due to a torn Achilles.