April 12 (UPI) — Seven-time All-Star guard Stephen Curry is now the Golden State Warriors’ all-time scoring leader, passing Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 17,783 points.
Curry’s historic basket came on a layup with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.
Curry entered the game needing just 19 points to surpass Chamberlain. The two-time NBA MVP finished with 21 points in the first quarter to set the new franchise points mark.
“It’s just an incredible feat,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before Monday’s game. “Passing Wilt in anything statistically is sort of remarkable because his name is just all over the NBA record books.
“So the fact that Steph is about to break that record is just incredible and obviously a testament to what he’s done here in his 12 years, what an impact he’s made.”
The Warriors’ all-time leading scorer:
Wardell Stephen Curry II https://t.co/IIYfhICAjC pic.twitter.com/TX50b0woTF— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 13, 2021
The Warriors selected Curry with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Since then, the 33-year-old guard has shattered numerous records and established himself as one of the greatest shooters in league history.
In the days leading up to his record-setting basket, Curry said passing Chamberlain would be a “pretty significant milestone.”
“That’s surreal, to be honest,” Curry said. “I don’t know how many years he played here, but [he] got a lot of buckets. Obviously, a legend who remains across the whole league, but wearing a Warriors uniform and having been here my whole career, it’s pretty crazy.
“So I’ve got a couple more points to score, hopefully some more wins in the process, but it’s a wild thought in general.”
Entering Monday night, Curry, a three-time NBA champion, was averaging 23.9 points and 6.6 assists in his career.