LeBron James had plenty of big moments in the Los Angeles Lakers 129-123 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. With his triple-double last night, LeBron became the first player to record a triple-double after year 20 in the league.
With LeBron’s 28 points, he is now only 89 points away from becoming the all-time leader in points. LeBron also accomplished another amazing feat on Tuesday night. With his 11 assists, LeBron passed not only Mark Jackson but also Steve Nash on the all-time assists list. LeBron is now in fourth place all-time with 10,336 assists. He passed Nash on this pinpoint pass to Thomas Bryant for the dunk.
What makes this accomplishment so remarkable
Anytime you are in the top five all-time of any major categories, that means you are the elite of the elite. What also makes this remarkable is that LeBron is the only non-guard in the top 34. You dont see another non-guard until Scottie Pippen at number 35. So yes, LeBron is running the point a lot of the time for the Los Angeles Lakers, but that is not his natural position, and being a 250-pound forward makes this even more remarkable.
Think about it: in probably three games or less, he will be the all-time leading scorer and finish in the top four in assists. That is an accomplishment I dont think we will ever see again in NBA history, at least not in most of our lifetimes. Of course, LeBron will probably not catch Chris Paul, who is third and a little under 1000 assists ahead of LeBron, but finishing number four all-time sounds like a good place to be when you are talking about the 70-plus-year history of the NBA.
Yes, becoming the all-time leader in points is the greatest single accomplishment a player can have when it comes to individual stats, but it’s something to be said for a 250-pound forward being amongst some of the greatest point guards ever on the all-time assists list.
I grew up in Houston and am a lifelong Rockets fan, but when you have the chance to witness greatness, you sit back and enjoy the show regardless of what team they play for. Legends dont come around often, so enjoy greatness while you can.
