With his 21st point Saturday against the Timberwolves (LIVE, League Pass), James Harden has officially staked his position as one of the NBA’s top-10 all-time scorers.
Passing Carmelo Anthony for 10th place on the career points leaderboard, Harden fittingly reached the milestone by hitting a pair of free throws, giving him 28,290 total points. He now trails Shaquille O’Neal by just 307 points for No. 9.
JAMES HARDEN HAS MOVED INTO THE TOP 10 SCORERS OF ALL-TIME 🚨 pic.twitter.com/6GdUodN1HA
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2025
Harden was 20 points behind Anthony’s 28,289 career points entering the game. Harden hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter to move ahead of the Hall of Famer.
“Blessing. A testament to the work I’ve put in,” Harden said. “It’s an honor, especially with somebody like Melo who’s done so much greatness for this league.”
Harden finished with 34 points on 10-for-18 shooting, but missed a tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer as the Clippers lost 109-106 after leading by 18 in the first half.
The 17-year veteran is averaging 26.5 points this season, his highest average since he led the league with 34.3 per game for the Houston Rockets in the 2019-20 season.
Next on the list ahead of Harden is Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 28,596 points during his Hall of Fame career.
10TH ALL-TIME IN @NBA HISTORY – Congrats, James Harden 👏@CoorsLight | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/26mIDqKdHW
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 7, 2025
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.