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Look, we started this thing two years ago and we’re gonna keep going with it, no matter how many of you think it’s a waste of breath/text.
By scoring more than 28 points on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Devin Booker became the 3rd youngest player ever to score 4,000 points in their career.
He was fourth youngest to hit 1,000 points, continued to be 4th youngest to reach 2,000 and 3,000 points, and now has jumped a spot to be third youngest to 4,000 points, bypassing Carmelo Anthony on the way. Only LeBron James (who played his rookie season at 18) and Kevin Durant got to 4,000 points at a younger age than Booker.
LeBron scored his 4,000th point in game 7 of his third year when he was still six weeks short of his 21st birthday. Kevin Durant reached 4,000 in his 19th game of year three, just two months after his 21st birthday.
Booker reached 4,000 at four months past his 21st birthday - younger than any other player in NBA history besides the afore-mentioned future Hall of Famers and NBA Champions.
You can argue a player can’t have it held against him when he’s born, that other players never had a shot at reaching 4,000 earlier, simply because their birthday was in the summer or spring rather than fall.
Their have been 8 players in NBA history who scored their 4,000th point at any point in their age-21 year. All of them are All-Stars except Booker and Wiggins (so far). Sure, Andrew Wiggins might be the cautionary tale here. But how about we focus on the other six rather than the one exception to the rule, and assume this means Booker will make at least one All-Star game in the near future.
Other age-related milestones:
- Youngest ever to consecutive 38-point games
- Youngest ever to consecutive 39-point games
- Youngest ever to participate in the All-Star Three Point Shootout (19) and youngest ever to win it (21)
- Among the youngest ever to do what he did as a teenager
- and as a 20-year old and now a 21-year old
He’s not slowing down. On the contrary, Booker is heating up more and more every month that goes by.
Watch his 39-point performance that put him over the top.