Harden revels in 'great accomplishment' as Rockets star surpasses 20,000 points
James Harden revelled in the "great accomplishment" of surpassing the 20,000 point-mark in the NBA on Saturday.
The Houston Rockets star posted 32 points in his side's 139-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, adding 12 rebounds and eight assists for good measure.
A haul of 20,022 places Harden 45th on the all-time list, although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar' 38,387 remains a distant prospect.
"It's a great accomplishment obviously," Harden said. "I have a bigger picture and bigger goals, but it's pretty cool."
.@JHarden13 gets to 20,000 career points in H-Town!#PhotoOfTheGame l @rokit pic.twitter.com/o07cy7u1gv
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 12, 2020
The 30-year-old revealed that he took the game ball and gave it to his mother for safe keeping.
"She has everything,'' he said. "Every goal and achievement that I have, she has it. I gave it to her, and she'll put it in a safe place.''
Russell Westbrook offered glowing praise of his team-mate.
"To be able to do that on a very, very high level is something we don't take for granted," he said.
"Growing up in LA and being able to see him progress over the years, to me, is just a blessing to see as his friend, and I'm truly happy for him."
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