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LeBron James broke a unique scoring record after dropping 31 points at age 41 in the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
In his 23rd NBA season, LeBron James continues to add to an already historic résumé.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft recorded his 13,793rd career assist during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120–114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. That mark moved him into second place on the NBA’s all-time assists list when combining regular-season and playoff totals, passing Chris Paul. James finished the night with 26 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, recording another double-double while remaining a central part of the Lakers’ offense.
Now 41, James is more than two decades into his career. The Akron, Ohio, native already holds the NBA record for career points and now trails only former Utah Jazz guard John Stockton in total assists.
A Look Back at LeBron James’ Career
LeBron James, Bronny James, Lakers
GettyLakers forward LeBron James, #23, right, welcomes his son Lakers guard Bronny James, #9, on the court to play in the final minutes of the game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.
From the start of his career, James produced across multiple categories. As a rookie, he averaged more than 20 points per game while also ranking near the top of his draft class in assists. He played heavy minutes right away and finished his first season among the league leaders in total minutes, setting the tone for his workload going forward.
Over the years, James has led his teams in both points and assists multiple times, particularly early in his career when he carried rosters with limited offensive depth. He has averaged more than eight assists per game in seven different seasons, including a career-high 10.2 assists during the 2019–20 season, which ended with a Lakers championship in the Orlando bubble.
His four seasons in Miami showed a similar statistical profile. Even while sharing the floor with other high-usage scorers, James consistently finished near the top of the team in assists. His averages remained steady, and his overall totals climbed as the Heat made deep postseason runs each year. Those playoff appearances added a significant number of assists to his career ledger.
After returning to Cleveland, where he often shared ball-handling duties with Kyrie Irving, and later joining the Lakers, James took on an even more defined playmaking role. With Los Angeles, he posted some of the highest assist averages of his career, including a season where he led the league in assists per game. That achievement placed him among a small group of forwards to finish atop the NBA in that category.
Longevity has played a major role in James’ continued movement up the record books. He has appeared in well over 1,500 combined regular-season and playoff games, and his assist production has remained consistent as he’s aged. Extended postseason runs and a steady role as a primary offensive organizer have kept his totals climbing, even as his scoring distribution has evolved.
Reaching second place on the NBA’s all-time assists list reflects years of sustained production across multiple teams and eras. The milestone adds another entry to a career built on volume, availability, and long-term consistency rather than short-term spikes.