Move Over, Melo: James Harden Enters Top 10 Of NBA's All-Time Scoring Leaders

James Harden has been called a lot of names in his career: The Beard, El Chapo, playoff choker, and (a Charles Barkley original) The Dribbler. Right now, there’s one name that fans and critics alike will have to agree on: the top 10 scorer of all time.

On Saturday, Harden earned this moniker when he scored the 28,290th point of his career. With this feat, the Los Angeles Clippers star surpassed Carmelo Anthony to become 10th in NBA career points.

The moment came with heightened suspense as Harden stood behind the charity stripe with 4:23 left in the third quarter of the Clippers-Timberwolves game. With a free throw, Harden rewrote the history books and occupied a prestigious spot that he will likely hold on to for years.

If there was any raincloud hanging over Harden’s head on this historic night, it was the fact that the Clippers came up short against the Wolves. Despite holding a 78–72 lead at the end of the third quarter, the Clippers were unable to contain the likes of Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, who hit a go-ahead three to seal the Wolves’ 109–106 comeback win.

As bitter as that loss was, Harden nevertheless bolstered his case as one of the most proficient scorers the NBA has ever seen. Finishing with 34 points in that game, he now trails Shaquille O’Neal by just 293 points. Given his season average of 26.8 points per outing, Harden can move up to No. 9 in the first week of January.

After that, it would be a fun cat-and-mouse chase as Harden would be trailing his former OKC and Brooklyn teammate Kevin Durant, who is also hot on the heels of the late Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki (31,560). Depending on circumstances like injuries, off nights, and scoring outbursts, Harden and Durant could be moving up to no. 6 and no. 7 over the next two seasons.

Beyond that? The next accomplishment would be to crack No. 5, a spot held by the legendary Michael Jordan (32,292 points).

While it’s difficult to imagine Harden entering the title picture in his current stint with the Clippers, his legacy as one of the most explosive scorers has been cemented. The Beard has knocked down countless step-back threes and pulled off impressive dunks in his career, but on Saturday, all it took for him to make history was a simple free throw.