The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 127-119, on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena. On the plus side, LeBron James reached yet another milestone.
With his seventh assist of the evening, a drop-off to Wayne Ellington, LeBron moved past Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson into seventh place on the NBA's all-time assists list. James now has 9,888 (regular season) dimes — 253 behind Magic Johnson.
LeBron tied and passed Oscar Robertson on the all-time assists list with these two dimes! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/D79wsWDOZe
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2022
LeBron, still hugely productive in his 19th season, moves up the NBA's all-time ranks on a nightly basis. However, he never takes his place in history for granted.
James was unaware of his feat during the Lakers' loss to the premier point guard of the next generation, Ja Morant. LeBron was informed of his milestone in his postgame press conference and was asked about his general thoughts about Oscar Robertson — the NBA's triple-double king until Russell Westbrook came along.
“Oh, wow. I am a historian of the game and I know quite a bit about The Big O,” LeBron said. “From his times from high school to the University of Cincinnati, to actually playing for the Cincinnati Royals all the way to Milwaukee, and so on and so on. What he meant to the game and what he still means to the game is something that's just unparalleled. And, obviously, he will always have a connection to Russ, what they was able to do for multiple seasons. But he was one of the first really premier big guards that could do pretty much everything out on the floor. But his ability to get teammates involved, his ability to find his teammates, his ability to provide that sense of joy out on the floor because of the pass is something that I've always respected and gravitated towards; guys like himself, J-Kidd, and Magic. I sound like a broken record, but it's the honest to God's truth: anytime I'm connected — or anything with the greats, it's an honor.”
LeBron dished out seven dimes on Sunday while continuing his torrid scoring stretch. He finished with 35 points on 14-of-19 shooting, plus nine rebounds. Unfortunately, he didn't get the requisite help from his Lakers teammates to take down the red-hot Grizzlies. Westbrook posted a triple-single (six points, six rebounds, seven assists), and the four other Lakers' starters shot 8-of-39 from the field.
James — one of the greatest passers and scorers in NBA history — now trails only Mark Jackson (10,334), Steve Nash (10,335), Chris Paul (10,665), Jason Kidd (12,091), and John Stockton (untouchable 15,806) on the all-time assist list. He's also third on the all-time scoring list. Not bad.
LeBron's career average (just under 7.4) ranks 24th all-time. At that rate, he could presumably pass Magic by the end of the season.
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