James Harden Passes Shaq for 9th-Most Points in NBA History, Who's Next on Scoring List?
James Harden passed an NBA legend on the league's all-time scoring list on Monday.
The Los Angeles Clippers star is now ninth on the scoring list after passing Shaquille O'Neal, who had 28,596 career points. Harden reached the historic mark in the first half of the Clippers' contest against the Charlotte Hornets.
Harden is now chasing Wilt Chamberlain, who had 31,419 points.
O'Neal is a Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant players of all time, but he'll now have to settle for 10th on the league's all-time scoring list.
It's not much of a surprise to see Harden pass a legend like Shaq, considering some of the absurd scoring seasons he's had.
The former MVP averaged 30-plus points per game in three consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020. He put up 36.1 points per game during the 2018-19 season, making him one of three players to average that figure or more alongside Michael Jordan and Chamberlain.
Harden, who is now in his 17th NBA season, is averaging 24.1 points per game on his career, despite playing as a second option to players like Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid for a few seasons.
While Harden has tapered off with age, he's putting together a strong 2025-26 campaign, posting 25.6 points, 7.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds so far. His points per game average is his highest since the 2019-20 season.
The Clippers had a rough start to the year but have started to turn things around, as they sit in 11th place in the West at 15-23. If Los Angeles has any hope of competing in the playoffs this year, it will be because of Harden's strong play.
