Against the Minnesota Timberwolves last December 6th, Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden went to the free throw line to score his 28,289th point, surpassing NBA legend Carmelo Anthony to become the NBA's tenth all-time leader in points.
With Harden cracking the top ten, he became the third active player to join the elite list, alongside LeBron James , who's at number one, and Kevin Durant , who's currently at number eight.
Even more impressive to note is that LeBron, KD , and Harden aren't just active, but they're still playing at an elite level.
This season, Harden, who is in year 17, is putting up 26.8 points per game, while Durant, who is in year 19, is putting up 25.3 points of his own. James, meanwhile, is averaging 16.1 points per game in year 23.
When it's all said and done, Durant and Harden will be even higher up the all-time scoring list.
For former NBA head coach David Fizdale, these players' sustained greatness is something to behold and is a testament to their class.
"It's phenomenal and it just says a lot about this generation and what's to come when it comes to durability and being able to play longer in your lifespan," he said on NBA TV's The Association.
Fizdale added that the fans are fortunate to be able to witness these players be great for such a long time.
"These guys are playing into their late 30s and LeBron now into his 40s and all of this is lucky for us, when you think about the guys that we're talking about, the Stephs, Brons, the KDs, the James Harden s, the Russell Westbrook s," Fizdale said.
Like Harden, Stephen Curry is in year 17 of his career, but is still putting up elite numbers. Before being sidelined with an injury, Curry was dropping 27.9 points a night. Westbrook, meanwhile, is in his 18th NBA season, and is still a solid contributor for the Sacramento Kings to the tune of 14 points, 7.2 assists and 6.8 rebounds a night.
"All of these guys are high-level, first-ballot Hall of Fame guys and they're still playing at a high level," Fizdale continued.
Fizdale noted that three of the guys he mentioned, Durant, Harden and Westbrook, all began their careers with the Oklahoma City Thunder .
This era's Thunder also features a trio of stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren . Already a championship-winning trio, Fizdale expects these players to have long and decorated careers as well, just like the Thunder stars that came before them.
"They're gonna play a long time and they're gonna be walking into the Hall of Fame, the same as these guys."
SGA is currently in his eighth NBA season and with the number of fourth quarters that he's been allowed to sit out because the Thunder have been blowing teams out, it won't be surprising if he does get to 16, 17, 18-plus years. The same goes for Williams, who's in his fourth year and Holmgren, who's in his third year.
Barring any significant injuries, these three stars will no doubt find themselves chasing spots in the top of the all-time scoring list as well.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
