Luka Doncic became the sixth-youngest and seventh-fastest to reach 10,000 points on Christmas Eve during the Dallas Mavericks’ 14-point victory against the Suns. Doncic came into the game with 9989 points and it took him just seven minutes to knock down the 11 points required for the record. As expected, social media was soon full of comments comparing him with the likes of Jayson Tatum and LeBron James, who were also among the quickest to touch the 10,000 points mark.
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The Slovenian phenom took only 358 games to reach this landmark, which is the fastest among all active NBA players. He was just three games shy of the fifth-fastest to reach the five-figure mark, George Gervin, who did it in 355 games. As for the fastest player ever to get to the magic number, Wilt Chamberlain accomplished the feat in merely 236 games. Other members on the list between him and Doncic are Michael Jordan (303), Elgin Baylor (315), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (319), and Oscar “Big O” Robertson (334).
Meanwhile, Doncic’s record prompted scrutiny on other active NBA players, who have taken their sweet time reaching the 10k milestone. A fan on X highlighted how Jayson Tatum is only 600 points ahead of the 24-year-old in total points despite having played 110 more games.
Luka doncic is only 600 points behind jayson tatum and hes played 110 less games pic.twitter.com/Ne1uDRrWqV
— Kyrie’s Tribesman (@NevaMiss24) December 26, 2023
Another fan pointed out that the European has even reached the milestone quicker than the All-Time leading scorer of the NBA, LeBron James. Doncic has edged out the King by 10 games.
He just got to 10,000 points 10 games quicker then Le Bron
— Vanilla KD 0-1 (@thecheteffect) December 26, 2023
The prolific scorer is rightfully garnering such praise after leading the Mavs to victory on the road with an incredible 50-15-6 showing. Doncic has become one of the most unstoppable players in the league. His ability to shoot clutch shots from the deep, coupled with his herky-jerky handles, make him a perpetual threat from every part of the floor.
Doncic has the ability to slow down the game at his own pace with his awkward movements and underrated strength, which makes him difficult to guard. Add to this his high-quality passing, elite basketball IQ, and playmaking skills, Luka is lethal even when dealing with double/triple teams. The Mavericks superstar only has to lead his team to an NBA Championship to cement his all-time status in the NBA.
Doncic can impact any game significantly with his scoring at any given day, which is evident in his record. However, he still has to improve his defense to give Dallas that extra edge in close games.
Luka Doncic spoils Christmas night for Suns fans
Luka couldn’t have given a better Christmas present to the Mavs fans after his theatrics at Footprint Center. After hitting 10,000 points, he taunted the Suns fans saying, “Whose house?” After all, this is not the first time he has flamed the Arizona team. Tallying 32.4 points, 9.7 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game in the 2022 West Semis, he led the Mavs past the table-topper Suns to the Western Conference Finals that year.
He continued the tradition of torching the Suns after notching 50 points on 60% shooting in the landmark affair. Apart from that, he collected, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. In the absence of Irving, he led the Mavs to a 128:114 win as the team improved their record to 18 wins against 12 losses.
