Devin Booker keeps moving up the NBA’s scoring ladder, and the latest name he passed is one that carries real weight.
In Phoenix’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Booker moved ahead of Julius Erving on the league’s all-time scoring list. Booker now has 18,371 career points, which puts him at No. 79 and nudges him past Dr. J’s 18,364.
“Wow. Its a honor.
Names like that. Obviously those are two guys I have high respect for, legends of the game.
Don't know what to say,” Booker said after the game.
He didn’t stop there. Booker made it clear he’s not treating this as a finish line.
“Keep going. It’s something I can look back on once I’m out of the league and appreciate. But for now, I just want to keep building.”
The next milestone is already in sight. Tracy McGrady is only ten points ahead of Booker heading into the Suns’ next game.
What makes Booker’s climb stand out is how he’s done it: all with one franchise. He remains Phoenix’s all-time leading scorer, and he’s still stretching that lead over everyone else in team history.
“I think it’s going to become more rare and rare as years go by. So to be homegrown here as an 18-year-old kid and now being able to put the organization back on the map - now we’re working to get it back there again. It’s a journey I enjoy and love,” Booker said on spending his entire career with the Suns.
That kind of run has made Booker a central figure in Phoenix, and maybe even in the larger Arizona sports conversation. He’s already in the discussion as the greatest player in Suns history, and his place in the state’s sports debate is hard to miss.
The trade chatter has followed him anyway, but Suns owner Mat Ishbia has repeatedly said Booker isn’t going anywhere.
“Devin Booker's our franchise player. I love Devin Booker,” Ishbia said at the end of last season.
“Devin Booker loves being here. Our coach loves Devin Booker.
Our GM loves Devin Booker. Devin Booker's going to be here.
Devin Booker's going to lead us to a championship here in Phoenix.”
That championship talk may be a long shot, but Booker’s steady rise on the NBA’s scoring list is very real. Mark Aguirre, Dolph Schayes and Rick Barry are all within 100 points of him now, and Booker, who just turned 30 weeks ago, still has plenty of runway left.
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