In the cacophony of sneakers squeaking across the polished court at Footprint Center, a stealthy silence ensued, presenting a juxtaposition as Kevin Durant stepped to the free-throw line. With his characteristic calm and poise, Durant launched the basketball through the hoop—swish! His 30,000th point was met with triumphant cheers, cementing him as one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever laid its courts on. This achievement etched his name further into the book of basketball legends, branding Durant as the eighth individual to join the rarefied 30,000 Point Club.
Durant’s latest milestone was etched in the hearts of basketball enthusiasts during a game against the nimble Memphis Grizzlies—a faceoff in which the Phoenix Suns, despite his herculean 34-point performance, succumbed with a 119-112 defeat. Nevertheless, for Durant, whose journey started 17 seasons ago, this milestone isn’t just a lovely number; it embodies a career of consistent brilliance, perseverance, and elegance on the court. Now 36, Durant sits with the greats, turning the pages of NBA history to the next grand chapter in his saga.
To commemorate this legendary achievement, Topps Now has unveiled a fresh deck—a limited-edition trading card celebrating Durant’s moment of triumph. This card showcases him in a manifestly unofficial “35” jersey, yet emblazoned in the Suns’ iconic orange, black, and purple hues. It immortalizes, with precision, the instance Durant glided from potential energy into the kinetic as his 30,000th point danced through the air, marking an epoch in NBA lore.
For collectors reveling in basketball memorabilia, the offering from Topps Now is an aspirational treasure trove, featuring a base version priced at $11.99. Those yearning for rarity have a chance at various parallel iterations: Green /99, Blue /75, Gold /50, Orange /25, Black /10, Red /5, and the sought-after SuperFractor 1/1. Like easter eggs in this basketball hunt, Topps has sprinkled its magic dust by inserting auto-relic redemptions featuring game-worn shorts of Durant himself. These come as serial-numbered versions, adding the allure of autographed relics /10, /5, and a singular SuperFractor 1/1.
As we watch Durant’s trajectory continue upwards, he’s now part of an elite circle occupied by esteemed company. LeBron James leads this select echelon with a formidable 41,623 points (still ticking), followed by luminaries like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant. Standing tall with his current tally of 30,008—and surely more to come—Durant is the artisan in this guild of scorers who have each shaped the NBA’s competitive landscape tremendously.
Achieving this feat in just 1,101 games, Durant matched the game-paced momentum of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Only two legends, Wilt Chamberlain (941) and Michael Jordan (960), have painted their scoring legacies faster. Not one to bask long in personal achievement, Durant reflected upon the gravity of joining this exclusive roster. “It’s a true honor,” he mused to NBA.com, “to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and pushed the game forward.” His 30,000th point, scored on a free throw courtesy of a foul by the Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke, will forever grace the highlights of his illustrious career.
The narrative of Durant is far from its final chapter. With each swish, he pens his legacy with elegant simplicity. Now, eyes turn skyward, speculating how high this prolific scorer can ascend on the all-time ladder. With discipline and desire supporting his singular focus and fluid movement, chasing LeBron isn’t an unthinkable thought.
Durant’s name echoes through hallowed halls as both a player of the present and a timeless talent of the game’s emboldened history. This isn’t merely basketball; this is a masterclass in dedication, rendering the art of scoring as something poetically beautiful. So as the ink dries on his trading card, each point tips like a domino, suggesting many more stories yet to come from Kevin Wayne Durant—NBA virtuoso.
