NBA Top 10 All-Time Assists Leaders

NBA Top 10 All-Time Assists Leaders
NBA Top 10 All-Time Assists Leaders

#8 Gary Payton

Payton was nicknamed “The Glove” for the incredibly close proximity that he maintained on defense.
Payton was nicknamed “The Glove” for the incredibly close proximity that he maintained on defense.

Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and spent his first 12 and a half seasons with the Sonics.In his last season with the Knicks, 'The Glove' averaged 9.0 assists per game.

Gary Payton averaged 2.9 steals per game in the 1995-96 season, and became the only point guard in the league to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award. He was a member of the NBA All-defensive First team for 9 years(1994-2002) in a row.

Payton dished out 8,966 assists during his extraordinary career and is often referred to as "probably the most complete point guard there ever was".

Led by Dwyane Wade and Payton’s contemporary Shaquille O’Neal, the Heat won the NBA title in 2006, giving Payton his one and only NBA Championship ring. Gary was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

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