LeBron James added more statistical accolades to his already incredible resume of achievements on Sunday night as he became just the ninth player in NBA history to record over 9,000 career assists. He also became the first player in NBA history to have over 30,000 points, 9,000 assists, and 9,000 rebounds.
James is only 52 assists away from passing Isiah Thomas for eighth on the all-time assists leaderboard and James told reporters after Sunday’s win that it’s all a result of a philosophy instilled him from the very moment he picked up a basketball: that helping your teammates score is more rewarding than scoring on your own.
From Ben Golliver of the Washington Post
Lakers’ LeBron James on value of passing after hitting 9,000 career assists: “When I was a little kid I was somewhat better than some of my teammates. [My coach] said it’s a much greater reward for you to get your teammates who can’t dribble or score for themselves an open look.” pic.twitter.com/iOKcyZqOLK
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) December 30, 2019
James has obviously been better than his teammates since he can remember, whether that’s at the youth level or even at the NBA level. This season, James has had to employ that philosophy more than ever this season as he’s been trusted to be the Lakers’ primary point guard.
While James will likely move into eighth place soon, catching seventh place may be more difficult as Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul currently has a 380 total assist lead over James in career assists.
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