Image Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

James Harden Surpasses Carmelo Anthony to Become Tenth Highest NBA Scorer of All-Time

LA Clippers fail to move past the victory line despite historic feat by James Harden.

Image Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

LA Clippers star James Harden surpassed Carmelo Anthony to become the tenth highest NBA scorer of all-time. Harden achieved the feat during the Clippers’ Saturday clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though the team failed to move past the victory line and slumped to their 18th defeat of the NBA 2025-26 season with a 109-106 loss, the 11-time All-Star ended up achieving a remarkable milestone.

Harden entered the game 20 points short of the record and Anthony’s 28,829 career points. He hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter and ended up moving ahead of the Hall of Famer. He finished the game with 34 points, five rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-of-18. The Clippers had a significant 18-point lead in the first half, but Harden missed a tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer, and his team had to settle for a loss.

10TH ALL-TIME IN @NBA HISTORY – Congrats, James Harden 👏@CoorsLight | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/26mIDqKdHW
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 7, 2025

James Harden Opens up on Joining Top 10 NBA All-Time Scoring List

After the game, James Harden opened up about his latest milestone and called it a “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.” Talking about the list, he is 304 points behind legend Shaquille O’Neal, who is in the ninth spot with 28,596 points. Apart from that, Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James is leading the list, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan are occupying the top four spots.

Coming back to Harden, currently playing his 16th season in the league, he is averaging 26.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game on 43.8% shooting. Earlier this season, he also became the only player to hold the single-game scoring record for multiple franchises as he dropped 55 points during a 131-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The 36-year-old, often regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and scorers in the league, maintains a career average of 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists through 1,173 games he has played in the league thus far.

James Harden

LA Clippers

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.