Carmelo Anthony – and his many fans – didn’t want to see his career end after that ignominious 10-game stint with the Rockets. The abrupt exit left a poor taste after so much success.
His return took a calendar year, but the longer this stint with the Trail Blazers stretches, the more ‘Melo has been able to cement his legacy as one of the league’s greatest offensive players. With a first-quarter free throw on Friday against the Mavericks, Anthony reached 26,000 career points, becoming just the 18th player to do so.
Congrats to @carmeloanthony on becoming the 18th player in @NBAHistory to reach 26,000 career points! pic.twitter.com/4PK4Z7clqq
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2020
Anthony entered the game averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 39.6% from 3-point range and 44.1% overall in 31.9 minutes.
| Rank | Player | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38,387 |
| 2. | Karl Malone | 36,928 |
| 3. | Kobe Bryant | 33,643 |
| 4. | LeBron James* | 33,532 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 32,292 |
| 6. | Dirk Nowitzki | 31,560 |
| 7. | Wilt Chamberlain | 31,419 |
| 8. | Shaquille O’Neal | 28,596 |
| 9. | Moses Malone | 27,409 |
| 10. | Elvin Hayes | 27,313 |
| 11. | Hakeem Olajuwon | 26,946 |
| 12. | Oscar Robertson | 26,710 |
| 13. | Dominique Wilkins | 26,668 |
| 14. | Tim Duncan | 26,496 |
| 15. | Paul Pierce | 26,397 |
| 16. | John Havlicek | 26,395 |
| 17. | Kevin Garnett | 26,071 |
| 18. | Carmelo Anthony | 26,000 + Counting |
| *Active | ||
