Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden passed iconic center Shaquille O'Neal for ninth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list during Monday's win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Harden vaulted O'Neal for regular-season points with a three from the top of the arc in the third quarter.
JAMES HARDEN PASSES SHAQ FOR NINTH ON THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Y0vwgaLpT0
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2026
All-time NBA scoring leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeBron James* | 42601 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38387 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | 36928 |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 33643 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 32292 |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | 31560 |
| 7 | Kevin Durant* | 31458 |
| 8 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31419 |
| 9 | James Harden* | 28614 |
| 10 | Shaquille O'Neal | 28596 |
* Active
Harden finished the tilt with 32 points as the Clippers won 117-109. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while Jordan Miller added 14 off the bench. No one else on Tyronn Lue's squad reached double figures.
Harden, the 2018 MVP, is a three-time scoring champion (2018-2020) and second in NBA history for consecutive games with 30-plus points, accomplishing the feat in 32 straight contests.
He's also 12th on the league's all-time assists leaderboard. The 11-time All-Star had 10 helpers against the Hornets to give him 8,604 for his career. He's 363 away from surpassing Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton.
The 36-year-old's former teammate, Kevin Durant, also moved up the all-time scoring list recently, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain on Friday for seventh place.
The win leaves the Clippers a game back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the final play-in berth in the Western Conference.
