NBA All-Star. Defensive Player of the Year. NBA Champion.
Tyson Chandler has a long list of accomplishments throughout his 17-year-career, and on Sunday night against the Pacers, Chandler added one more milestone.
With 8:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, Chandler grabbed his 11th rebound of the game and 10,000th of his career.
“When you come into this league as a young player, you don’t know what to expect and you’re just trying to survive,” Chandler said. “Now, I’m right at a part of my career to be able to start to get some of these milestones. Just reminds you of the all the hard work, the journey, the sacrifices that you have to make and everything that you’ve done, to be in position to hit some of these.”
Chandler became just the 40th player in NBA history to reach the 10,000 rebound milestone.
“Unbelievable,” Head Coach Jay Triano said. “His longevity and what he’s done for us at the defensive end, as far as rebounding. You can see it again tonight to go get that milestone. Anytime you do something that only 40 people have done in the history of the game, I think that’s an incredible honor.”
The team knew he was close entering the game and couldn’t wait to be able to celebrate the huge achievement for the 35-year-old center.
“Congratulations to him,” Josh Jackon said. “We’ve been actually counting them down all week in practice just waiting until he got there. So, really happy for him.”
Jackson wasn’t the only person to congratulate Chandler as a pause in the action following the rebound allowed for a PA announcement of his historic milestone. Chandler was greeted by loud cheers from fans, teammates, coaches and even Pacer’s Al Jefferson showed his respect.
“It means the world to me,” Chandler said. “As a veteran in this league, to have younger players come and pay respect, pay their dues because they understand how hard it is to get to this point. It means everything.”
Chandler was happy that he was able to hit this achievement on his home court at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
“To be able do it on the home floor for the Suns, Suns fans and in front of my family, my son, my daughters means everything to me,” Chandler said.
He finished his 1,066 game with 14 total rebounds as the big man doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The Suns will hit the road as they travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Catch the action on Fox Sports Arizona. Keep a close eye on the Fox Sports Arizona broadcast for your chance to win a 4k SmartTV and a shot for One-Million dollars.