Ranking top five NBA players with the most career assists
What's the story
Assists are the backbone of team play, and some legends have redefined the art of sharing the ball.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul recently climbed to second place in career assists, surpassing Jason Kidd during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, tallying 10 assists, seven rebounds, and six points.
We spotlight the top five assist leaders in NBA history and their legacy of teamwork.
#1
John Stockton - Utah Jazz (15,806 assists)
Jazz legend John Stockton leads the NBA's all-time career-assists list with a record 15,806 assists across 1,504 games.
Notably, Stockton is also one of the only five players to cross the 10,000 assists mark in the league.
Meanwhile, the guard played for 19 seasons averaging 10.3 assists per game, with the most assists during the 1990-91 season (1,164 assists) in 82 games.
#2
Chris Paul - San Antonio Spurs (12,099 assists*)
As mentioned Paul surpassed Jason Kidd for second place with his 12,092nd assist in the game against the Pelicans.
Paul now owns 12,099 assists across 1,296 games, and is one of the two active players on this list.
Additionally, the point guard boasts an average of 9.3 assists per game with the most assists during the 2007-08 season with 925 assists across 64 games.
#3
Jason Kidd - New York Nets (12,091 assists)
Kidd owned the second place for some time now until Paul surpassed him for the place.
He finished his career with 12,091 assists across 1,391 career games.
Additionally, across his 19-year storied career, the one-time NBA Champ averaged 8.7 assists per game and managed a total of 808 assists during the 2001-02 season the most in a single season.
#4
Lebron James - LA Lakers (11,219 assists*)
The NBA's all-time leading scorer also stands fourth on the assist list with 11,219 career assists.
Notably, Lebron James is the only second active player on this list behind Paul.
The four-time NBA MVP currently averages 7.4 assists per game. Across his stories 22-season career James hit the most assists during the 2017-18 season (709 assists).
Moreover, he already has 184 assists this season.
#5
Steve Nash - Phoenix Suns (10,335 assists)
The two-time NBA MVP stands fifth on the list with 10,335 career assists across 1,217 games.
He is the third non-active player on this list and the fifth player to cross the 10,000 career assists mark.
Across his 18-year NBA career, Nash averaged 8.5 assists per game, whilst managing 898 assists during the 2007-08 season, the most in a single season in his career.