Sometimes you happen upon a minor traffic accident that you can see unfolding in slow motion – but there’s nothing you can do about it.
This is a little bit like that.
James Harden surpassed Charles Barkley on the NBA scoring list and his reaction is priceless.
Charles Barkley dropped down one spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Tuesday night, with Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden passing him for the 27th spot.
Harden needed just 14 more points to tie Barkley on the list and 15 to gain solo possession of the No. 27 position as he entered the Sixers’ game against the Sacramento Kings at home.
He would go on to finish the meeting with the Kings with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor.
Because he also recorded a total of 15 assists to go with seven rebounds and five steals in 36 minutes of action, he could have had more points if he decided to be more selfish.
But Barkley looked pretty down in the dumps when he learned that Harden had successfully knocked him off the 27th spot.
Barkley ultimately took the high road and congratulated Harden on passing him on the scoring list.
But his cohosts on Inside The NBA seemed far more upbeat, as they hilariously joked about the Hall of Famer moving down a notch on the all-time scoring list.
It won’t be long before Barkley will get to see another active NBA player pass by him on the list.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook entered Tuesday just 98 points behind the former Sixers forward.
Westbrook scored 20 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics in LA, so Barkley’s lead is now down to 78 and it’s possible that Westbrook manages to pass Barkley on the list by next week.
In points per game, Barkley averaged 22.1 points in 1,073 career games.
Harden has him beat in that category, too, with 24.9 points per game in 955 games played.
But Barkley ranks 19th in all-time rebounds with 12,546 in his career, and that is a number Harden certainly won’t come close to reaching.
So, luckily for Barkley, momentary feelings of depression aside, he’s still got plenty of room for bragging rights.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
