Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has surpassed Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas on the NBA's playoff assist leaderboard.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, Rondo moved up to the 12th spot in the all-time playoff assist list. His third assist of the game is his 988th assist overall in the playoffs, surpassing Thomas' 987 dimes. Up next in the list is Dennis Johnson with 1,006 assists.

Rondo is regarded as one of the smartest guards in the league. This year marks his ninth playoff appearance in his 15 years as a pro, and first as a member of the Lakers.

He started out his career with the Celtics where he won a title in just his second year in the league and first postseason campaign. Together with the Hall of Fame trio of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, Rondo formed a critical part of the Celtics' title run in 2008.

He was designated by Doc Rivers to run the Celtics' offense to which he responded with poise. Some analysts even claimed that the Celtics had a Big 4 and not a Big 3.

After snagging the Larry O'Brien trophy, the Celtics remained as one of the elite teams in the league. In 2010, they made a trip back to the NBA Finals but lost to the Lakers in seven games.

Rondo struggled to fit in with other teams after his stint with the Celtics. But this never diminished his value as a real pure point guard who knows the game from inside-out.