For the first time since the 2019-20 season, LeBron James suited up for a Los Angeles Lakers game at Madison Square Garden versus the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
He didn’t have a super-efficient offensive outing, but he achieved his first triple-double of the season: 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Lakers survived in overtime, 129-123. It was a victory they simply had to have after losing their previous two contests.
With that triple-double, he surpassed two people on the NBA’s list of most career assists — Marc Jackson and Steve Nash — to move into the fourth spot on that list with 10,336.
BREAKING: LeBron James has passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for 4th on the NBA's all-time assists list 🪙👑 pic.twitter.com/rfnjtNcGIC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 1, 2023
Next on the list is the Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul, who has 11,246 assists, and after that is Jason Kidd, who retired with 12,091.
No one can safely predict if James will surpass Paul, especially since the Suns’ leader is averaging 8.7 assists a game this season. But many are learning to not count out the four-time MVP when it comes to anything that has to do with his longevity.