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

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 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 Mavericks on Saturday and now has 29,010 points in 17 seasons with Seattle, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn and Phoenix. The four-time league scoring champion averaged 27.3 points in 1,064 games.

Durant has averaged at least 20 points per game every season and continues to get the ball to the basket at a high rate, scoring 28.7 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.