Kevin Durant dropped 24 points in the Houston Rockets' 121-95 blowout win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, apparently having no idea he was on the cusp of joining an especially exclusive NBA club.
During the postgame presser, the two-time NBA Finals MVP was informed by a reporter that he was a mere four points shy of becoming just the eighth player in the league's history to score 31,000 points.
In signature Durant style, he reacted as NBA fans have more or less come to expect from the candid, prolific scorer.
"Damn, I could have did that tonight," said Durant.
After being asked if such career milestones ever "move him," KD was hardly short on words: "Yeah, they do, hell yeah. I mean, eight players in the history of the game? That’s insane."
"I mean, I'm always grateful for all my coaches, teammates, guys that set screens for me, that give up their shot," Durant continued. "[Players] that look for me, that encourage me throughout my whole career."
The 37-year-old veteran star went on to shout out Russell Westbrook, among others, as serving as key components in essentially making a point to get him his shots.
"Every time I hit these milestones, I tend to think about my teammates and the journey that I’ve been through," Durant said. "Even as a kid, so many people invested in my life and my career and wanted to see me do well. So, I owe a lot to them and I always think about that when I hit milestones like this."
In looking at the list that Durant will most certainly be joining come Friday night when the Rockets play host to the Phoenix Suns, his reflective, vibrant reaction made plenty of sense.
Said members of the 31,000 point club include the following NBA legends: LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Even in his now 19th season, Durant remains as consistent as ever, averaging 25 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.