DeMar DeRozan joined historic company during Friday’s Bulls game against the San Antonio Spurs by eclipsing 20,000 points for his NBA career.
DeRozan sits 54th on the NBA/ABA's all-time scoring list, with Antawn Jamison next to pass.
Nine active NBA players are in the 20,000-point club and lead DeRozan in career scoring: LeBron James , Carmelo Anthony , Kevin Durant , James Harden , Russell Westbrook , Chris Paul , LaMarcus Aldridge , Joe Johnson and Stephen Curry . "Just knowing the amount of players that played in this game for 75 years, it's crazy. Not too many people even get to that point," DeRozan said on Wednesday."Some of my favorite players that I watched never even got to that point. To be there is definitely crazy."
The achievement is as much a testament to DeRozan's consistency and durability as it is to his preternatural shot-making skill. Since being drafted in 2009, DeRozan has appeared in more regular season games than any player in the league and trails only James in total minutes logged.He averaged a career-high 27.9 points in the 2021-22 season, his first with the Bulls, scoring 2,118 total points . Entering Friday's game he was averaging 24.