During Cleveland’s Tuesday night victory over the Detroit Pistons, LeBron James hit teammate Kevin Love with a pass in rhythm for a big three-pointer, immortalizing him as the all-time assist leader for an NBA forward.
The number to beat was 6,135, set by Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen. James’ pass to Love in the second quarter gave him 6,136 for his career, propelling the King’s legend even further as one of the NBA’s all-time greats.
“I’ve always took a lot of pride and I get more of a rush seeing my teammates succeed more than myself,” James told ESPN, “And that’s what an assist is all about. I was taught the game the right way and seeing my teammates succeed has always been something that I’ve cared about more than anything and that’s what it’s all about.”
His assist record comes as the second all-time list James climbed this week. On Sunday, James passed Allen Iverson for the No. 22 spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
With the news of the assist record, James shrugged off the the scoring accolade and told ESPN that Tuesday’s record is “probably one of the greatest achievements I’ve had in my career.”
Once again I’m at a lost for words really! For me this goes right at the top with winning a… https://t.co/EkImriKi6H
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 25, 2015
And what a career it has been for the four-time MVP. During his-12 year tenure with Cleveland and Miami, James averaged 27.4 points per game, 6.9 assists and 7.1 rebounds. Pippen, who played 17 seasons in the league averaged 5.2 assists per game.
James and the Cleveland Cavilers currently rank fourth in the Eastern Conference after the Tuesday night win, 102-93, over Detroit. James finished the game with 11 assists and 19 points.