The 37-year-old started the game needing just four points to hit the milestone and took his tally to 31,000 points with a 10-foot jump shot midway through the first quarter.

Durant, who finished the night with 28 points to move to 31,024 overall, sits behind Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James on the all-time list.

“As you’re coming up into the league, you look at these guys as heroes and you put them on pedestals, and you look at their accomplishments as sometimes unreachable,” Durant said.

“But then you get on that road trying to do your thing. That’s what I’ve done since 2008.

“I’ve been focused on trying to be the best player I can be, and they set a standard for each player when they left the league.

“Guys like Wilt, Michael, Kobe – I’m missing so many guys – they just set a standard that I try to reach every day.”

Antetokounmpo out for up to a month

The Milwaukee Bucks expect to be without star player Giannis Antetokounmpo for the next month as he recovers from a calf strain.

The Greek power forward limped out of Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after falling to the ground during a defensive play.

Initial scans indicated the 31-year-old could miss between two to four weeks.

But the Bucks say they will give Antetokounmpo added time to recover given the nature of the injury.

“I feel like we should learn that with calves – make sure they’re healthy,” Bucks coach Don Rivers said.

“So that may take longer than we want. That even may make Giannis frustrated over it, but we’ve just got to try to get that right.”

Elsewhere, James and Luka Doncic were absent as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 126-105 to the Boston Celtics.

James, 40, continues to be troubled by a sciatica problem in his left foot, which saw him miss the first 14 games of the season.

Doncic, who missed the match for personal reasons, could return for the three-game trip against the Philadelphia 76ers this weekend.

The move was first announced last month but was confirmed on Sunday when the league’s new year officially started.

The Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers are also involved in the deal, which involves 13 players and several future draft picks being exchanged.

The previous record for the largest trade in NBA history was six teams, set last summer when Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks.

Durant, 36, was named the 2014 Most Valuable Player, won two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, and is a 15-time All-Star.

He also won four Olympic golds with the US basketball team.

“My time in Phoenix has come to an end,” he posted on social media.

“All these stops along the journey have really impacted me in a positive way. Remember it’s a world behind the scenes, and those who make things work in that space, work tirelessly to make our lives easier as players.

“I truly believe this NBA is a one big community. Much love to Arizona. Houston, Can’t Wait!”

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said: “His skill level, love of basketball, and dedication to his craft have made him one of the most respected players of his generation, and my staff and I are excited to work with him.”

Houston finished second in the Western Conference last season but were knocked out of the play-offs in the first round.

“One of the greatest to ever play the game, we are grateful for the impact Kevin made on our organization and in our community,” Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory said.

“As a member of the Suns, he climbed the scoring charts to become just the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points, and we wish him the best as he continues his career in Houston.”

Who gets what in the seven-team deal?

Under the deal, Houston get Durant and 31-year-old Swiss centre Clint Capela from Atlanta – he started his career at the Rockets.

From the Rockets, the Suns pick up 18-year-old South Sudanese centre Khaman Maluach, who was the 10th overall pick in June’s NBA draft, as well as forward Dillon Brooks and guard Jalen Green. The Suns also get Atlanta wing Daeqwon Plowden, Minnesota forward Rasheer Fleming and Golden State guard Koby Brea, as well as two future draft picks.

The Hawks, meanwhile, receive David Roddy, cash, and a 2031 draft pick swap from Houston.

Brooklyn obtained two future second-round picks and sent a draft pick, forward Adou Thiero, to the Lakers.

The Warriors obtained Australian forward Alex Toohey, who was initially drafted by the Suns, and guard Jahmai Mashack, the last pick in the draft for the Rockets.

Minnesota landed two future draft picks from the Suns and 18-year-old Australian centre Rocco Zikarsky, a draft pick from the Lakers.

The 36-year-old forward will join the Rockets at the start of July in a deal involving eight other players.

In exchange, guard Jalen Green and small forward Dillon Brooks will move to Phoenix – who will also gain the 10th pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft and five future second-round picks, according to reports in US media.

Speaking at a media event in New York on Sunday Durant told reporter Kay Adams: “Being part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it.

“Crazy, crazy last couple weeks, but I’m glad it’s over with.

“They had a great season last year. Love their leadership. I felt like I’d be a good addition.”

Durant is a four-time Olympic champion with the United States and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2014.

Last season the Suns could only finish 11th in the Western Conference, with Durant averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots a game.

The Rockets finished second in the Western Conference but were knocked out of the play-offs in the first round.

They are coached by Ime Udoka, who signed a long-term deal last week to remain as Houston’s coach. Durant and Udoka previously worked together with the Brooklyn Nets and on the US Olympic squad.

Durant is the seventh highest-scoring player in NBA history and won his two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, taking the NBA Finals MVP award on both occasions.

The Phoenix Suns forward has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the majority owners of the French club, and will provide expertise during PSG’s planned expansion into basketball.

“It is an honour to partner with QSI and to be a shareholder of PSG, a club and a city that is deeply close to my heart,” the four-time Olympic gold medallist said.

“This club has big plans and I look forward to being part of the next phase of growth and exploring new investment opportunities with QSI.”

Earlier this year, QSI expressed their interest in owning a franchise in a European basketball league proposed by the NBA and the sport’s world governing body Fiba.

PSG said that they will partner with Durant’s media and investment company Boardroom on a wide range of “commercial, investment and content initiatives” and that the NBA star will “support the club on its continued sports and business diversification and growth”.

Durant was already linked with the 13-time French champions through the club’s minority shareholder Arctos Partners but has now invested directly.

Durant, who won two NBA titles with Golden State Warriors and claimed gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with the United States, was recently included in Forbes’ 2025 list of highest-paid athletes.

QSI acquired PSG in 2011 and their investment has helped the club win 11 Ligue 1 titles and a first Champions League, that they won by defeating Inter Milan 5-0 last month.

The 36-year-old reached the milestone with a free throw that made the 26th of his 34 points in the Suns’ 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Durant, a 15-time All Star, was playing his 1,101st career game and is joint-third fastest to the landmark alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Only Wilt Chamberlain (941) and and Michael Jordan (960) got to 30,000 points in fewer games.

“He’s probably the most incredible shotmaker I’ve ever been around and I’ve gone against him a lot of nights, too, so it’s good to be on his side,” the Suns’ coach Mike Budenholzer said of Durant.

“The way he can rise up and shoot over people, his height, his ball-handling. If he’s not the most incredible shotmaker then I’m not sure who is.”

Top scorers in NBA history

• LeBron James – 41,623
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387
• Karl Malone – 36,928
• Kobe Bryant – 33,643
• Michael Jordan – 32,292
• Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560
• Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419
• Kevin Durant – 30,008

Durant, who won two NBA championships in his time with the Golden State Warriors, is a four-time NBA scoring champion and has averaged at least 20 points a game in each of his 17 seasons in the league.

His scoring average of 27.2 is fourth among players to play 500 or more NBA games behind only Jordan (30.1), Chamberlain (30.1) and Elgin Baylor (27.4).

“It’s a true honour to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game, pushed the game forward,” Durant said.

“That’s always been my goal: to get the most out of myself every day and the most out of my career, so to be mentioned with those guys means I’m doing something right.”

Durant, who has also won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA, was given the game ball by Memphis star Ja Morant, who led the Grizzlies with 26 points and six assists.

“He’s one of the greats. He’s one of the greats,” Morant told TNT Sports. “That’s why I honoured him with the ball.

“He said he [didn’t] care too much about it, but hey, [not everyone gets] 30k in this league. Hats off to him, and I hope he keep going. We want to see him out here.”

Elsewhere, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points as the New York Knicks cruised to a 128-115 victory over bitter rivals the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks stay third in the Eastern Conference, a place ahead of the Pacers.

Scottie Barnes had 33 points and 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors inflicted a fourth-straight loss on the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-103.

Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons’ Malik Beasley made seven three-pointers off the bench in a 132-92 thrashing of the Chicago Bulls.

Durant scored inside the final 30 seconds of regulation time to tie the game at 103-103, although James Harden’s buzzer beater for the Clippers bounced off the rim.

Beal put the Suns – playing a competitive match at their Intuit Dome stadium for the first time – 114-110 ahead with one minute 20 seconds left in overtime thanks to a pair of free throws.

Harden had the chance to level the scores when he missed the second of two free throws with five seconds remaining, before Jusuf Nurkic scored two free throws at the other end.

Harden finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while team-mate Ivica Zubac scored 21 points.

The Suns remain in California for Friday’s meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Clippers travel to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

Stephen Curry scored 17 points as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 139-104 win at the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Orlando Magic won 116-97 at the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks triumphed 124-109 at the Philadelphia 76ers.

The recent Olympic gold medalist with Team USA at the 2024 Olympics has invested a few millions dollars of his own money to join the club, a source told ESPN.

He did so via Arctos Sports Partners, the American investment fund which bought a 12.5% stake in the club in 2023, with PSG valued at $4.6 billion (€4.25bn). The aim of Durant’s arrival at the club is to further develop the PSG brand in the U.S. from a marketing and sponsorship point of view, especially with the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup set to be hosted in America over the next two summers.

Durant, 35, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, is a big soccer fan and part owner of MLS side Philadelphia Union. He is a good friend of PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi and has visited the Paris training ground and Parc des Princes stadium several times prior to his investment.

As recently as Aug. 6, he went by the Campus PSG to say hello to some of the players, staff and head coach Luis Enrique.

Durant is very excited to be involved with the club, a source told ESPN, and is very serious about his investment in the club.

The victory came despite the Suns losing guard Devin Booker in the sixth minute on Wednesday after he was ejected for two quick technical fouls.

Saben Lee added a season-high 16 points for the Suns, and matched his career best with four steals.

Simone Fontecchio’s 18 points could not help end Detroit’s poor run of form as they fell to a third straight defeat.

Durant scored 12 points in the first half as the Suns took a commanding 70-41 lead.

Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors lost 130-125 to the LA Clippers despite Steph Curry’s 41-point haul which saw him become the first player in NBA history to score at least seven three-pointers in four consecutive games.

The Clippers overturned a 14-point deficit as James Harden finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Paul George added 24 points.

The Clippers are top of the Western Conference Pacific while the Warriors remain at the bottom of that division.

The Brooklyn Nets were beaten for a fifth time in six games in a 136-86 thrashing by the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum scored 20 points, dished out nine assists, and claimed seven rebounds for the Celtics, who beat the Nets on consecutive nights.

LeBron James was rested as the LA Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 138-122. Anthony Davis scored 37 points and 15 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura added a career-high 36 points.

The Sacramento Kings fought back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 102-98.

It is the Kings’ second victory over the Nuggets in the space of five days and De’Aaron Fox starred with 30 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers edge past the Chicago Bulls 108-105, including a crucial free throw with 44 seconds remaining as the Bulls wasted a 17-point lead.

Kyrie Irving’s 34 points and Luka Doncic’s 27 points led the Dallas Mavericks to a 116-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic also had nine rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes but had to leave the court in the fourth quarter with a neck injury.

The Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks 118-100 with Paolo Banchero scoring 36 points and Franz Wagner adding 21.

Jalen Brunson starred for the injury-hit Knicks – who were missing six players including Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic – with 33 points and six assists.

Bam Adebayo’s 23 points and 14 rebounds helped the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-104 to maintain their place at the top of the Eastern Conference Southeast.

The Indiana Pacers narrowly beat the Toronto Raptors 127-125, as Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 points and 12 assists, and Pascal Siakam added 23 against his former team.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-99 for a third straight victory – their best winning streak of the season.

The Memphis Grizzlies ended a nine-game losing streak with a 121-113 win over the Houston Rockets while Deni Avdija’s career-best 43 points led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 133-126 win over the Washington Wizards.

Durant matched his career-high of 16 assists to make it a triple-double, while Devin Booker added 20 points.

The defeat is the Rockets’ third in four games, despite impressive performances from Alperen Sengun, with 24 points, and Jalen Green with 23.

Also on Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 20 points down to beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-110.

Jarrett Allen scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds for Cleveland, and Caris LeVert tallied 29 points, while Mavericks’ Luka Doncic continued his fine run of form with 39 points – the third consecutive game he has reached at least that mark.

Doncic drained a three-pointer with 17.1 seconds remaining to bring the Mavs within three points, but his efforts were in vain as time expired.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 144-122.

Seven players posted double figures to earn Milwaukee their eighth win from nine games.

The Toronto Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 132-102 to end their three-game losing run, with OG Anunoby scoring 26 points and Pascal Siakam adding a further 22 for the Raptors.

The Philadelphia 76ers toppled the Orlando Magic 112-92 with six Philadelphia players reaching double figures, including Tyrese Maxey with 23 and Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton adding 22 each.

Jalen Williams scored a career-high 36 points and team-mate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his haul as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New York Knicks 129-120.

Green was served with a ban by the NBA after striking Phoenix Suns player Jusuf Nurkic in the face.

He was ejected from a game for the third time this season as the Warriors lost 119-116 on Tuesday.

“To me, this is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,” Kerr said.

“It’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. And that’s not an easy thing to do.”

Last month Green was given a five-game ban for putting Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert in a headlock, while he was also ejected for two technical fouls against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The referees reviewed the incident with Nurkic and ruled it a flagrant foul 2, which leads to an automatic ejection.

Kerr said: “The answer is to help Draymond and give him the help he needs, give him the opportunity to make a change that will not only help him and help our team but help him for the rest of his life.

“It’s not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. Look at the past year and what’s happened – it’s clear he needs the opportunity to change. And that’s what an indefinite suspension gives him the opportunity for.”

Phoenix Suns forward Durant played with Green for the Warriors between 2016 and 2019 and the pair, while team-mates, were involved in an altercation after suffering an overtime defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018. Green was subsequently handed a one-game suspension for his actions.

Durant said: “I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It’s been incident after incident.

“Hopefully, he gets the help he needs to get back on the court and put all this stuff behind him.”

“He smelled it when I walked in, so I didn’t really have to say much, you know what I’m saying?” Durant said in an interview.

The 34-year-old added that the drug is so commonly used in the league “it’s like wine at this point”.

NBA players are no longer prohibited from using cannabis.

The league and its union, the National Basketball Players Association, signed a new collective bargaining agreement last month that removes the drug from its list of banned substances.

The policy change drew praise from the likes of rapper Snoop Dogg, who touted its “health benefits and how it could actually help ease the opioids and all the pills that they’ve been given and the injections”.

Players have not been subject to random tests for cannabis since the 2019-20 season.

Durant, a forward for the Phoenix Suns and one of the top scorers in NBA history, was among those who personally lobbied NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a meeting to stop the league penalising use of the drug.

During an interview at a sports and business conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Durant said: “He kind of understood where this was going.

“It’s the NBA, man. Everybody does it, to be honest. It’s like wine at this point.”

He said Mr Silver – the league’s commissioner since 2014 – agreed with him. The BBC has contacted the NBA for comment.

“I just enjoy the plant,” said Durant, who has invested in several cannabis-related companies. “It’s as simple as that.”

Other US sports leagues, including Major League Baseball, the National Football League and Ultimate Fighting Championship, have all relaxed their cannabis policies in recent years.

The drug is legal for recreational use in 23 US states, three US territories and the capital Washington DC – but its use and possession remains illegal under federal law.

Although the franchise did not disclose which of its players received positive diagnoses from tests issued after the team’s trip to San Francisco, Durant himself told The Athletic’s Shams Charania that he was among those who tested positive.

The 10-time NBA All-Star told Charania that he has yet to exhibit symptoms and is feeling fine before issuing a message to the general public:

“Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”

But beyond the immediate ramifications for Durant and his infected teammates, the positive tests could be a sign that more diagnoses for NBA players could be coming down the pipeline.

The Nets last hit the hardwood on Tuesday, March 10, when they played LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. If Brooklyn’s infected players were already carrying the virus prior to tipoff, it’s possible they inadvertently spread the illness to their opponents through close contact during the game.

A statement released by the team Tuesday afternoon noted that while four players tested positive for coronavirus, only one has exhibited symptoms to this point. Still, all four players — including Durant — have been placed in quarantine while under the care of team physicians, and the rest of the franchise’s travel party has been asked to remain in isolation so as not to further spread the virus.

The Nets’ diagnoses come less than a week after the league’s decision to suspend the remainder of its season in the wake of its first player diagnosis. On the evening of March 11 — less than 24 hours after Brooklyn’s matchup against the Lakers — Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, sending the league and the entire sports world into a tailspin.

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The following day, Gobert’s teammate — Donovan Mitchell — also tested positive, and soon after Detroit Pistons big man Christian Wood became the league’s third player with a confirmed diagnosis.

James, Davis, and the rest of their Los Angeles teammates will receive coronavirus tests Wednesday and begin a 14 day self-quarantine, according to Brad Turner of the LA Times.