The 25,000 point club welcomed its 25th member on Saturday night, as Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points during Oklahoma City's 121-108 win against Detroit to lift his career total to 25,004. Inexplicably, the NBA only officially recognizes 21 members of the club, as the ABA statistics of Julius Erving (30,026 points; eighth all-time), Moses Malone (29,580 points; ninth all-time), Dan Issel (27,482 points, 11th all-time) and Rick Barry (25,279; tied for 22nd all-time) are not counted.
Scoring 25,000 points is a significant milestone; every player who reached that total prior to Anthony is either already a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame or is a lock to be inducted upon becoming eligible. Think about that number: it takes elite scoring ability to average 25 points per game and it requires durability to play in 80 or more games--but even if you meet both of those standards for 12 straight seasons you still will be 1000 points short of 25,000!
Anthony's career scoring average is 24.4 ppg, which ranks 13th among the 25,000 point club members. Anthony will likely finish his playing days with a lower scoring average than that, as he has accepted the role of third option with the Thunder after being the number one option during his entire career. Anthony has well-documented limitations in terms of his all-around game and in terms of being a leader but there is no questioning his ability to put the ball in the basket--and if he continues to be willing to sacrifice individual glory to make the Thunder a better team then perhaps he can add the final piece to his resume: a championship ring.
Carmelo Anthony is the 25th Member of the 25,000 Point Club
