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LeBron James is on course to join an exclusive list of NBA players to record 10,000+ career assists. He could do so as early as the 2021-22 campaign.
Making a pass that leads to an assist is no easy task, which is why players that have done so at an incredibly high rate are lauded for their achievements. In NBA history, only six players have recorded 10,000+ assists. The list is dominated by point guards, which is why James deserves an honorable mention for his efforts thus far.
Russell Westbrook (8,061) and Rajon Rondo (7,414) are the only other active players in the top 30 on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard. Reaching the 10,000+ career assists mark is unlikely for either of the two LA Lakers players this season. Compared to Rondo, Westbrook could be in the league a while longer, so he could be the eighth player to join the exclusive club.
So without further ado, here are the six NBA players to have recorded 10,000+ career assists:
#6 Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson had the physique of a big man, but was a natural point guard because of his ball-handling skills and court vision. He played as a center in his rookie season to replace the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBA Finals.
Johnson's unfortunate health issues resulted in an early retirement, which makes one wonder what could have been had he played in those four years he missed. He tried to make a comeback, but featured in only 32 games before leaving the NBA for good.
In the 13 years he was active in the NBA, Johnson recorded 10,141 assists. He also led the league in assists four times, doing so in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987.
#5 Chris Paul
Chris Paul was the sixth player to register 10,000 assists in the NBA, but has since then surpassed Johnson to move to no.5 on the all-time assists leaderboard. He hit the 10,000-assists mark in a game against the LA Lakers on March 21, 2021, feeding Deandre Ayton with an alley-oop pass.
Paul signed a four-year contract extension with the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA offseason. With that, he should remain active till 2025, so he is placed well to climb to at least third on the all-time list. The 11-time All-Star has also led the NBA in assists on four occasions.
#4 Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson does not have one of the most impressive CVs in the NBA, but he was adept in dropping dimes. He started his 17-year career with the New York Knicks, but bounced around the NBA a lot, playing for seven different franchises before his retirement.
Jackson led the league in assists only once in his career, but he created assists at an efficient rate. On occasion, his assists average was more than his points tally at the end of a season.
Jackson's tally of 10,334 career assists sees him at fourth place on the NBA's all-time assists standings. His highest single-season tally was 935 assists, which he recorded in the 1996-97 NBA season.
#3 Steve Nash
Steve Nash has one assist more than Jackson in the NBA's all-time leaderboard, which is why he occupies the no.3 spot. He played in the league for 18 seasons before retiring at the age of 39.
Nash was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 1996 NBA draft. He had a rough start, so he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks two seasons later. Things started to look up for the Canadian, as he made his first All-Star appearance after six seasons in the NBA.
He started to drop assists more effectively down the line in his career, getting named the assist champion in five different seasons. In his second run with the Suns, where he won two MVP awards, Nash averaged double-digit assists in seven of eight seasons.
#2 Jason Kidd
The gap between Jason Kidd and Nash on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard is a lot, almost 2,000 points. Kidd made an instant impact when he joined the NBA, earning the co-MVP title in 1995.
Kidd was a triple-double threat every time he stepped on the court because of his ability to make assists and clean the glass. He recorded 12,091 assists during his career. Although he never crossed the 1,000 assists mark in a single season, he was an elite-level passer, and that showed his career tally.
The Dallas Mavericks signed Kidd as head coach following spells with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and LA Lakers (assistant). He knows a thing or two about ball movement, and that could reflect in the way the Mavericks play in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#1 John Stockton
John Stockton was an absolute peach of a passer during his time in the NBA. He spent his 19-year career, creating assists as a member of the Utah Jazz and also scoring at an efficient rate.
Karl Malone was the principal benefactor of Stockton's assists, as the duo partnered for 18 consecutive seasons. Although they both failed to win a championship, they came incredibly close, especially in 1997 and 1998. But they lost both NBA Finals to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Stockton holds several assists records in the NBA. Tallying 1,000+ assists in a single season has only been achieved nine times in NBA history. But Stockton has recorded that milestone on seven occasions, five of them coming in as many consecutive seasons.
The ten-time All-Star led the NBA in assists for nine consecutive seasons, doing so from 1988 to 1996. His career assists tally stands at 15,806, a number that will likely not be matched for a very long time.
Guess the Lakers players!
