It fittingly came on a pull-up 3-pointer.
With this third-quarter jumper in Charlotte, James Harden passed Shaquille O’Neal for ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
“Shaquille O’Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching here in L.A.,” Harden said postgame, via the Associated Press. “Him and Kobe (Bryant) 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 went on to score 32 points in the Clippers’ win, giving him 28,624 for his career in 1,187 games. O’Neal finished his 19-year Hall of Fame career with 28,596 points in 1,207 games.
Next up on the NBA’s scoring list is Wilt Chamberlain, but Harden will have to score 2,805 to get there. Harden is 11th on the all-time NBA and ABA combined scoring lists (both Julius Erving and Moses Malone had more combined points in both leagues than Harden has scored).
The Clippers’ 117-109 win came in their third game in four nights on the road, and the team has now won 10 of 12.