With over 10,000 points, is Brook Lopez the greatest Nets Player of all-time?
Mar 1, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Brook Lopez joined the Brooklyn Nets 10,000-point club in their 109-100 win over the Sacramento Kings.

With 4:18 remaining in the first half, a driving Jeremy Lin found Brook Lopez in the lane for a powerful, rim-rattling dunk, making him just the second Nets player in franchise history to score 10,000 career points. The milestone came en route to Brooklyn snapping their 16-game losing streak and finally getting the team to double-digit wins on the season.

Lopez joins the team’s exclusive club with Buck Williams, the organization’s all-time leading scorer, who tallied 10,440 points in eight seasons with the Nets.

Earlier in the day, Lopez said he was not aware that he was ten points away from etching his name into the history books. “I’m proud I’ve been in the league for this long and can keep doing the thing I love year in and year out. I think I have a lot longer to go. So, it’s definitely a great benchmark.”

Lopez is averaging 20.5 points per game this season, including a career-high 33 percent from behind the arc. After attempting just 31 threes through his first eight seasons, Lopez has already knocked down 94 attempts and shows no signs of slowing down with 23 games remaining.

After being deprived for almost the entire season, the win gave fans a glimpse of what the Brook-Lin combination could bring to the Barclays Center next season. The pair scored 14 of the team’s final 16 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Throughout the season, the Nets have struggled to close out games and have lost an NBA-high 17 games after leading in the first half.

Lopez is now only 427 points away from the team’s all-time scoring record. If he is able to score 19 or more points in all of the Nets remaining games, he will surpass Williams and ultimately solidify his place as a Nets legend. After withstanding trade rumors for practically his whole career, Lopez’s jersey will one day hang in the rafters at the Barclays Center, and he may go down as the greatest player in franchise history.

Sports, The Brooklyn Way. Writer, EliteSportsNY.com, Grind Now, Smile Later.