LeBron James Is Now 12th All-Time In Assists

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is now 12th all-time in career assists.

Last night, Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James made history yet again. James, who finished last night’s contest with 8 assists in a loss to the Washington Wizards, passed Maurice “Mo” Cheeks for 12th all-time in career assists with his 7th assist of the night.

This accolade comes on the heels of James passing Tim Duncan for 13th all-time in career field goals. For the record, James is also nearing Shaquille O’Neal’s scoring record, needing only 41 points to pass the “Big Diesel” for 7th all-time in career points.

James’ passing ability has been the stuff of NBA legend as, at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, he makes incredible passes that seem to be impossible to make. He’ll throw touch passes behind his head when the Cavs run their “UCLA” cut. He’ll throw a bullet pass across his body in the middle of a dribble-drive that crosses the court with just as much precision as velocity. From the high post, he’ll drop a behind-the-back bounce pass to a cutter for an easy lay-in.

James’ greatest weapon is his versatility and part of that versatility is his ability to play point guard at his size

He’s bigger than Draymond Green, who plays point-center for the Golden State Warriors on a consistent basis. He’s the possessor of Steve Nash-like court vision and a Jason Kidd-like understanding of the game.

Yet, he’s explosive, agile and nimble as Paul George, who plays for the Indiana Pacers. He’s as dominant a force with a full-head of steam as we’ve seen in the NBA, with defenders falling off of him like he’s a mini-Shaq. If he’s hitting his outside jump shots, and this year he’s been incredible from the midrange and behind-the-line, he’s unstoppable.

It’s simply unfair.

That’s why Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat called James “1-5” and has him playing center on defense and point guard on offense in the middle of the NBA Finals. Do you remember this highlight-reel block James had on Tiago Splitter in Game 2 of the 2013 NBA Finals?

Well the whole sequence involved that block, then an assist from James to Ray Allen on the other end. Once back on defense, he jumped the passing lane for a steal with Mike Miller corralled and threw ahead to James for the fastbreak slam.

James finished that game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocked shots. The Heat throttled the San Antonio Spurs in that game and won 103-84.

James had 6 blocks in the series, third-most on the Heat. James also had 49 assists in that Finals series, helping propelling the Miami Heat with his 7.0 assists per game. He shot 34 threes and made 12 while Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade took a combined 6 threes and made none.

James’ versatility shined in that Finals series. His court vision dazzled.

That’s the story of James’ career really.

Just last month, James set a new career-high with 17 assists in a game against the Wizards. You know, the game where he also had 32 points and hit the game-winning shot.

Some passes he makes for these assists are run-of-the-mill. Some, like the bounce pass to Jefferson while his back was turned, sensational.

By the way, since we’re appreciating James’ passing ability, let’s not forget the pass he made on Valentine’s Day. One that went between the legs of Andrew Wiggins and right to Derrick Williams.

Whew!

That’s the 6-foot-8, 250 pound behemoth averaging 26.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game making pinpoint passes between opposing players legs. James’ court vision and ability to make passes is something to behold.

As he gets older, he only becomes wiser and it’s aided his court vision. It should come as no surprise he’s also averaging a career-high 8.8 assists per game.

If you haven’t had enough of James’ passing, I’ll leave you with this compilation of James’ passes gathered from this season. Believe it or not, it’s a video that lasts six and a half minutes.

Is it any wonder to you that James is now 12th all-time in career assists? The only question is where will he end up as he gets older and becomes more of a facilitator? If he plays until he’s 40, he can pass Steve Nash for 3rd all-time in career assists, just a notch below Jason Kidd and a fair distance away from John Stockton.

Related Story: LeBron James Passes Tim Duncan In The Record Books

What do you think of LeBron James passing Maurice Cheeks for 12th all-time in assists? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.