Kevin Durant passes Elvin Hayes for 11th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant passed Elvin Hayes to become the 11th-leading scorer in NBA history, in Tuesday night’s 120-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. This was also an NBA In-Season Tournament matchup.

Durant, 35, passed Hayes in the first quarter on 6-of-6 shooting, including a 3-pointer and a free throw. The two-time MVP has scored 27,331 points in 1,000 career games through 16 seasons.

Hayes retired with 27,313 points in 1,303 games of his 16-year career. Only three players have scored more points than Durant through 1,000 games — Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Per a few NBA betting sites, Kevin Durant holds seventh-best odds to win MVP this season. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and other stars.

Kevin Durant passes Elvin Hayes for 11th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list! pic.twitter.com/TKeUzkpWhl

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 22, 2023

In his 1,000th career game, Durant recorded 31 points, four rebounds, nine assists, and one block in 38 minutes of action. The 13-time All-Star finished 13-of-21 (61.9%) shooting from the field and knocked down two 3-pointers.

Durant now needs 79 points to pass Moses Malone for 10th on the league’s all-time scoring list.

“Being amongst the all-time greats, the guys who set the standard and made the NBA what it is today is an honor,” Durant said. “It’s pretty cool and I just gotta keep going.”

Kevin Durant is 79 points shy of passing Moses Malone to become the 10th-leading scorer in NBA history

Suns coach Frank Vogel also praised the future NBA Hall of Famer.

“He’s one of the best ever to do it, and he’s not slowing down. So, Suns fans should be really excited about that. I actually feel like he’s scoring it as good as he ever has,” Vogel said.

Through 14 starts of the 2023-24 season, Durant is averaging 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 37.1 minutes per game. Plus, he’s shooting 53.5% from the floor, 50.8% from 3-point range, and 87.6% at the foul line.

With Kevin Durant passing Elvin Hayes for 11th on the all-time scoring list, we look back at The Big E! #NBAVault pic.twitter.com/LpNIj4jp6S

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 22, 2023

Additionally, Durant ranks second in points (439) and leads the league in field goals (154) this season.

Phoenix won its fourth in a row overall and improved to 2-1 in West Group A in the tournament, whereas the Trail Blazers finished group play at 1-3. The Suns play their final group game Friday at Memphis.

NBA sportsbooks show the Phoenix Suns with fourth-best odds to win this season’s championships. However, oddsmakers are giving them eighth-shortest odds to win the in-season tournament’s NBA Cup.