Clippers' Lou Williams: It's 'Special' to Set NBA's All-Time Bench Scoring Mark

Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams became the NBA's all-time leading scorer off the bench Monday night, and the feat wasn't lost on him.

"Anytime you can say to have 'of all time' next to your name, no matter what it is, it's special," Williams said after passing former Charlotte Hornet Dell Curry (11,147 points), per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "With being a sixth man and being a career bench player, to have an opportunity to be something that says 'ever' at the end of it is special to me."

Williams entered the game needing 28 points to pass Curry. On his way to a 34-point night in a 140-115 victory over the Boston Celtics, he recorded the record-breaking basket with just under 10 minutes to play:

That accomplishment earned the veteran guard a standing ovation from the Staples Center crowd as he made his way to the bench moments later:

After the game, Doc Rivers and Co. made sure to give Williams the game ball:

A second-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005, Williams has made a living by coming off the bench and providing buckets. He is a two-time Sixth Man of the Year who has averaged 14.2 points per game for his career.

The 32-year-old has made 109 starts in his 923 career appearances, registering 35-plus starts in a season twice. Following Monday night's game, Williams has now scored 11,154 of his 13,071 career points off the bench (85.3 percent).

Williams acknowledged he may have initially been reluctant to accept a reserve role but eventually embraced being a super-sub, per Youngmisuk:

"It took some time; it kind of took some resentment. If you think that I got to come off the bench, then I am going to put you in a position to try to prove you wrong. Then after a while, it was kind of fun, and over the years it was my makeup.

"I've always embraced my role. I think that is what makes it special. That is part of my legacy as well. That is part of what people will remember me for, so you might as well be the best at that."

Williams is averaging 20.4 points on 42.9 percent shooting this season. He has averaged 24.4 points per game over his last 20 appearances and has two 40-plus-point performances.

With the help of Williams' strong play off the bench, the Clippers (39-29) are sixth in the Western Conference and five games clear of the ninth-place Sacramento Kings.