Wade climbs NBA's career scoring list

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade doesn't keep track of his milestones.

He does, however, enjoy hearing about them.

Wade kept climbing up the NBA's career scoring list Sunday when the Miami Heat star had 17 points to tie Bernard King for 42nd in league history. They both have 19,655 points, though Wade got there in 48 fewer games.

"I don't celebrate it but it all matters in the long run," the 34-year-old Wade said after Miami topped Atlanta 105-87. "It's all great, it's all cool. For me, when I got to top 50 all-time in scoring ... there's been a lot of players that played this game."

Wade started the season 54th in scoring. He's now on pace to be in the top 40 by the end of the season, and recently picked up his 12th selection to the NBA's All-Star Game. Only 12 other players in league history have been chosen to play more times.

And given his life story, it's easy to see why accolades matter to Wade.

He wasn't a high-profile high school player in the Chicago area and was found by Marquette after playing one year of AAU basketball on a team that featured Darius Miles. Wade was never, as he put it, "a big-name" prospect. But no Illinois-born player has scored more NBA points than Wade, who passed Terry Cummings for that distinction a couple weeks back.

"A Chicago guy doing good things, I guess," Wade said. "That's how I look at it. I just feel like the city is proud anytime my name is mentioned with Chicago behind it. It just helps shine some good light on our city."