James Harden overtakes Shaquille O’Neal to climb to ninth on NBA all-time scoring list

The Clippers earned their 16th win of the season with the victory on Wednesday night. Harden delivered a strong performance, playing 38 minutes and recording 32 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. He led the team in scoring alongside Kawhi Leonard, who finished with 35 points in just 31 minutes.

With this game, Harden reached 28,614 career points in his 1,187th regular-season appearance, surpassing O’Neal’s total of 28,596 points in 1,207 games. The milestone came when Harden made a three-pointer in the third quarter.

Among active players on the all-time scoring list, Harden sits behind Durant, who has more than 31,000 points, and James, who has passed 42,000 points. His next target remains far away, as eighth-placed Wilt Chamberlain scored 31,419 points, nearly 3,000 more than Harden.

Harden has also recently climbed to 12th on the NBA’s all-time assists list and is second in career three-pointers made, trailing only Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Since the start of the 2025/26 season, Harden has averaged 25.6 points per game, his best scoring average since the 2019-20 season.

After the game, Harden reflected on the achievement. “Shaquille O’Neal is someone I grew up watching. He won multiple championships and was the most dominant big man in the game. It’s a true honor and shows the work I’ve put in,” he said.

The Clippers are currently fighting for a play-in spot. With a 16-23 record at the halfway point of the season, they sit 11th in the Western Conference, one win behind the Memphis Grizzlies in 10th place. Over their next five games, the Clippers will face the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Wizards again, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA all-time scoring list

LeBron James, 42.601

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 38.387

Karl Malone, 36.928

Kobe Bryant, 33.643

Michael Jordan, 32.292

Dirk Nowitzki, 31.560

Kevin Durant, 31.458

Wilt Chamberlain, 31.419

James Harden, 28.615

Shaquille O'Neal, 28.596