DeMar DeRozan eclipses Stephen Curry on the all-time scoring list, inching closer to another legend. His historic shot marks a new career milestone.
The Sacramento Kings' DeMar DeRozan continued his climb up the NBA's all-time scoring list on Thursday night, surpassing Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry for the 19th spot on the list.
The veteran guard jumped into the top 20 last month after surpassing two Boston Celtics greats, John Havlicek and Paul Pierce, trailing Curry then by fewer than 100 points.
Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, DeRozan nailed a mid-range baseline jump shot at the 2:10-minute mark in the first quarter, scoring his historic 26,448th point. The six-time All Star now sits just 42 points shy of passing San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame power forward Tim Duncan.
DeRozan, a former ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft, spent nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors, leading them to multiple deep playoff runs, including an Eastern Conference Finals berth in 2016.
DeRozan's name can be found in just about every all-time stat for the Raptors, as he is the franchise's all-time leading scorer, with 13,296 points, and has made the most field goals (4,716) and free throws (3,539) in team history. He also owns the only 50-point performance in franchise history, going for 52 points and eight assists in a 131-127 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.
In 2018, DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. He adapted to more of a point-forward role under Gregg Popovich, averaging a career-high 6.2 assists to go along with 21.6 points per game.
After three seasons with the Spurs, DeRozan signed with the Chicago Bulls before the start of the 2021-2022 season, thriving almost immediately. The now-32-year-old DeRozan averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game, earning his fifth All-Star selection and a top-10 finish in MVP voting.
He played two more seasons in Chicago, averaging over 24 ppg in both, before reuniting with former Bulls shooting guard Zach Lavine in Sacramento. Thus far, DeRozan's time in Sacramento has not been as successful as anticipated, but he has been able to help younger Kings, like Nique Clifford, Maxime Reynaud and Precious Achiuwa to flourish under his guidance.
Earlier this week, DeRozan told reporters he has enjoyed being able to share his expertise with younger guys, while emphasizing he has always tried to be the best teammate he could be.
"I always want to invest in every teammate that I've ever played with," DeRozan said. "However I can help, what I can learn ... It just goes back to having a love for the game."
DeRozan is now the fifth-highest active scorer in the NBA, trailing only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden and teammate Russell Westbrook.
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