Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James once again moved up the ladder in a new statistical category.
After a seven-assist night in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, James ascended to No. 7 on the NBA’s all-time assists list. James passed Oscar “Big O” Robertson, who had 9,887 assists during his 14-year career from 1960 to 1973.
After the game, James — who didn’t yet know he passed Robertson — explained what it meant to elapse an NBA legend.
“I’m a historian of the game, and I know quite a bit about the Big O. From his times, from high school to the University of Cincinnati to playing for the Cincinnati Royals all the way to Milwaukee and so on so on, what he meant to the game — what he still means to the game — is something that’s just unparalleled,” James said.
James, a 6-foot-9 forward with adept ball-handling and vision for someone of his size, said big guards who could set up teammates helped build his own craft.
“Obviously, he’ll always have a connection with Russ (Westbrook), what they was able to do for multiple seasons. But he was one of the first premier big guards that could do pretty much everything out on the floor. But his ability to get teammates involved, his ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor because of the pass is something that I’ve always respected and gravitated towards. Guys like himself and J(ason) Kidd, Magic (Johnson)…anytime I’m connected with the greats is a true honor,” James said.
The next player for James to pass is Magic himself, who logged 10,141 dimes in 13 seasons.
James needs 254 assists to pass Johnson. LeBron is currently averaging 6.6 assists per game. With that average and 41 games left to play, James will have 270 if he doesn’t miss a game, which would top Magic.
John Stockton is No. 1 on the list with 15,806 assists, nearly 4,000 more than No. 2.
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