Celtics captain Paul Pierce continued his ascent up the NBA's all-time scoring list Wednesday, leapfrogging former Pistons guard Isiah Thomas for 48th overall with 18,824 career points.

Pierce could climb higher quickly, as he sits 7 points behind Chet Walker and 16 points shy of Scottie Pippen. If he stays healthy, Pierce will be knocking on the door of the top 30 by season's end.

For Pierce, 32 and in his 12th season, passing Thomas, who was voted one of the NBA's top 50 players of all time, is significant.

"I think it's great," said Pierce. "It shows the longevity I've had in this league, staying healthy. To pass one of the greats like Isiah, it's just another accomplishment I'm proud of. I don't take it for granted. The game is bigger than that. It's an honor to be up there with those guys."

Kevin Garnett (21,439 points) is less than 150 points away from cracking the top 25 for all-time scorers. If he remains healthy this season, he'll likely vault a pair of former Celtics in Larry Bird (24th at 21,791 points) and Gary Payton (23rd at 21,813 points).

Ray Allen (19,843 points) sits at No. 33 overall. Only three active players reside ahead of Garnett and Allen: Shaquille O'Neal (5th, 27,721), Kobe Bryant (16th, 24,161) and Allen Iverson (17th, 24,020).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points. Check out the entire top 25.