Kenny Atkinson praised James Harden's career milestone of scoring 29,000 points following the Cleveland Cavaliers' win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Harden has been in the NBA since 2009, making him one of the league's greatest scorers of all time. Heading into Cleveland's clash with Philadelphia, he had scored 28,996 regular season points in his entire career. He needed # of points to reach the milestone of 29,000 points, to get closer to the great achievement of 30,000 points.
Harden accomplished the feat with a stellar performance during his 29 minutes of action. He finished with a stat line of 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block. He made 6 of 11 shots from the field, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Atkinson reacted to Harden's milestone via reporter Paris McGee Jr. after the game. The head coach hailed the moment as a testament to the veteran star's longevity as an elite scorer in the league.
"It's a testament to his resiliency. It's very hard to do that consistently for so long in this league. This version of James we're seeing, you don't just think about scoring, I think about this complete player... When they announced it today, I was in shock, 29,000. Wow. Incredible," Atkinson said.
Kenny Atkinson called James Harden's milestone of 29,000 career points a testament to his longevity and elite level of flexibility.
Video: Paris McGee Jr., cleveland.com pic.twitter.com/KNkEFrC6TV
- cleveland.com Cavs (@PDcavsinsider) 10 March 2026
James Harden, how the Cavaliers played against the 76ers
It's clear that Kenny Atkinson is proud to see James Harden make history as one of the best veteran scorers in the league. He is now eager to see Harden aim for the 30,000-point milestone.
Six players scored in double figures for Cleveland in the win over Philadelphia, including Harden. Keon Ellis proved to be a big spark off the bench with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting overall, including 4 of 7 from downtown. Donovan Mitchell came next with 17 points and six assists, Evan Mobley had 15 points and eight rebounds, Dean Wade put up 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaylon Tyson provided 11 points.
Cleveland improved to a 40–25 record on the season and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, while trailing the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers look forward to their next matchup while on the road. They will take on the Magic as tip-off takes place on March 11 at 7:30 pm ET.
