Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden passed Shaquille O’Neal on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Early in the third quarter, Harden drained a 3-pointer to push his career total to 28,598 points in his 1,187th regular-season game, surpassing O’Neal’s 28,596 points in 1,207 games.
“Shaquille O’Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching here in L.A.,” Harden said. “Him and Kobe doing their thing, winning multiple championships, the most dominant big man in the history of the game. It’s a true honor, it’s a testament to the work that I put in.”
BREAKING: James Harden has surpassed Shaquille O’Neal for No. 9 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 13, 2026
Legend. pic.twitter.com/pQnuktWJVX
Harden entered the night averaging 25.6 points per game, his highest scoring average since the 2019-20 season when he won his last of three consecutive scoring titles with 34.3 points per game. He finished Monday with 32 points and 10 assists in the Clippers’ 117-109 win, scoring 13 points in the first half (11 in the opening quarter), 11 in the third and eight in the fourth to raise his career total to 28,614 points.
Now 14th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Harden faces a steep climb to the next milestone. Wilt Chamberlain sits eighth with 31,419 points in just 1,045 games, while LeBron James leads all-time with 42,601 points. Following James are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant.
In addition to his scoring feat, Harden recently moved up to 12th on the all-time assists list and ranks second in career 3-pointers made, trailing only Stephen Curry. The 11-time All-Star continues to make his mark as one of the game’s most prolific scorers and playmakers.
