Kevin Durant becomes the eighth NBA player to reach 29,000 career points

PHOENIX – Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points, reaching that mark Saturday night as his Phoenix Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-102.

Durant joins an elite list of players who have reached the 29,000-point plateau, led by LeBron James, the NBA's career scoring leader with 40,543 points. Behind James are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and now Durant.

The 36-year-old Durant is ranked No. 10 on the combined NBA and ABA list, followed by Julius Erving at No. 8 and Moses Malone at No. 9.

“I have to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” Durant said. “Teammates who passed me the ball, set up screens for me, coaches who set up plays for me.”

The 14-time All-Star scored 31 points against the Mavs on Saturday and now has 29,010 points in 17 seasons with Seattle, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn and the Suns. The four-time league scoring champion averaged 27.3 points in 1,064 games.

Durant has averaged at least 20 points every season and continues to get the ball to the basket at a high rate, scoring nearly 29 points per game in his first three games this season.

“What a tribute to a great generational talent,” said Suns coach Mike Budenholzer. “I feel incredibly lucky to be around him every day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.