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Playmaking is definitely one of the most important tools an NBA player can have, especially in an era driven by long-range shooters. Anytime a player can make opposing defenses collapse and find open teammates, that playmaking ability will be highly-rewarded by NBA teams.
Players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry are definitely at the top of the league in terms of getting the most attention from opposing defenses.
Some at a higher level than others are capable of finding teammates for open shots and creating good chances for their team.
Top five players who led the NBA in assists-per-game multiple times
Current point guards like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are always putting up a high number of assists and creating chances for teammates. Westbrook, on his side, just led the NBA in assists per game in the 2020-21 NBA season and is always close to double-digit assists or over.
In this article, we will look at five players who have led the NBA in assists per game multiple times. From the NBA's first season (when the league was known as the Basketball Association of America) to the 1968-69 campaign, the assists king was determined by the assists total.
This piece will consider players who led the league in assists per game, even if they did not necessarily win the assists title in certain years before the 1968-69 season.
A total of 12 NBA players have won the assists title on multiple occasions. In this article, we will take the five at the top of the list. The ones out of the Top 5 are Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, Kevin Porter, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Andy Phillip, and Guy Rodgers.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Jason Kidd
In 19 NBA seasons, Jason Kidd surely proved to be a triple-double machine and one of the best playmakers in league history. Although it isn't often remembered, Kidd led the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 without really having massive help.
Throughout his entire career, Kidd led the NBA in assists per game five times, three with the Phoenix Suns and twice with the New Jersey Nets.
Kidd is second in the all-time assists table with 12,091 dishes, becoming one of only two players to ever reach 12,000 assists in his career.
#4 Steve Nash
Steve Nash led the NBA in assists four times in his 18-year career. The two-time NBA MVP was one of the most dynamic point guards in the NBA, especially during his time with the Phoenix Suns, where a fast-paced offense was mainly ignited by him from the point guard position.
Nash held the NBA in assists with the Suns all five times, helping him take home two consecutive MVP awards in 2005 and 2006.
Nash had 10,335 assists in his NBA career, reaching third spot in the all-time table.
#3 Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson is definitely one of the five best point guards in NBA history. He was a versatile point guard who could score consistently and also be a playmaker when his team needed him.
At the start of his career, when Robertson did not have a lot around him, he was a high-volume scorer and still averaged close to double-digit assists. He then won his only NBA championship as a facilitator for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee Bucks in the 1970-71 season.
Robertson led the NBA in assists per game seven times and was also at the top in total assists six times. 'The Big O' is also one of six players to win the NBA scoring title and also lead the NBA in assists in their careers.
#2 Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy was one of the first premium point guards in the NBA, as the six-time NBA champion was the first point guard to win an MVP in league history. The Boston Celtics' legend led the NBA in assists per game eight times, while also leading the league in total assists in those eight seasons.
He also did so consecutively from the 1952-53 season to the 1959-60 campaign. Cousy held the record for most assists titles and most consecutive seasons, leading the league in assists from his official retirement in 1970 to 1990s.
#1 John Stockton
Bob Cousy's assists record was broken by John Stockton. The Utah Jazz point guard led the NBA in assists per game nine times, consecutively from the 1987-88 campaign to the 1995-96 season.
Stockton is definitely one of the best pure point guards in NBA history, as he seemingly played purely to create scoring chances for his teammates, especially superstar power forward Karl Malone.
Stockton holds several passing records, including the most assists in NBA history at 15,806 (a record that seems untouchable) and the highest assists-per-game average in a single season in league history (14.5 in the 1989-90 campaign).
He also has a record for total assists in a single season with 1,164 in the 1990-91 campaign.
Also read: Listing LeBron James' head-to-head record against all the NBA MVPs since he last won the award in 2013
