“Shaquille O'Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching here in L.A.," Harden said. "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, who began the night 14 points behind O'Neal, finished with 32 points and 10 assists in the Clippers' 117-109 win against the Hornets. He had 13 points in the first half — including 11 in the first quarter — and scored 11 in the third and eight in the fourth to increase his scoring total to 28, 614.
Harden entered the night averaging 25.6 points per game, his highest average since the 2019-20 season (34.3 points per game) when he won the last of three straight league scoring titles.
Harden, who began the game with 28,582 career points in his 17th season, faces a steep climb to the next spot. Wilt Chamberlain is eighth with 31,419 points, in just 1,045 games over 14 years. LeBron James is the all-time leader with 42,601 points entering his game with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. Following him are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant.
Harden recently moved up to 12th on the all-time assists list. The 11-time All-Star also ranks second all-time in 3-pointers made, behind Stephen Curry.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA