Shaq has officially laid down the gauntlet for Kevin Durant.

On Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, Durant officially passed O’Neal for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Durant is eighth on the all-time scoring list with 28,610 career points

Durant is eighth on the all-time scoring list with 28,610 career pointsCredit: Getty
The Big Diesel congratulated KD on the achievement but challenged him to chase down LeBron James in first place.

“First of all, I want to say congratulations for passing me to become eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list – well deserved,” Shaq said on Inside the NBA.

“But you know it doesn’t stop here. I probably see you at—let’s see if you can get to No. 1.”

“Congratulations, brother, job well done. I knew it was gonna get done, if anybody was going to pass me, it was definitely going to be you.”

Durant finished the game with 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists as his Phoenix Suns claimed a 115-102 victory.

The two-time champion and Finals MVP now has 28,610 career points.

The Suns superstar only needed nine points to pass Shaq’s record and did so in the first half.

After the game, Durant said, “I’m grateful to be in the category with some of the greatest.

“We all know what Shaq meant to the game of basketball. So to be up there with him is a major, major honour, in my opinion.”

O’Neal scored 28,596 points in 1,207 games during his career but Durant has surpassed that total in just 1,047 games.

Durant recently passed Shaq (left) on the all-time scoring list

Durant recently passed Shaq (left) on the all-time scoring list

He still has a way to catch LeBron in first place and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in second

He still has a way to catch LeBron in first place and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in secondCredit: Reuters
At the start of the 2023-24 season, Durant was 13th on the all-time scoring list but has already gone past four legends in recent months.

This season, KD has leapfrogged Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, and Carmelo Anthony on the scoring list and is now within striking distance of Wilt Chamberlain in seventh with 31,419 points.

At 35, Durant still has a good few years left at the elite level but it seems highly unlikely he’ll complete Shaq’s challenge.

LeBron has the all-time mark with 40,179 points, and is continuing to add to that with every game.

KD is over 11,500 points away from ‘The King’s’ total so it seems James’ record is safe.

However, Durant may well be able to catch the likes of Kobe Bryant (33,643) and Michael Jordan (32,292) in fourth and fifth place respectively if he continues to put up impressive numbers for the next few years.