LeBron James joins NBA top 10 for career assists in Los Angeles Lakers loss to Memphis Grizzlies
James is the only player in NBA history rank in top 10 for career points and career assists
Tuesday 26 February 2019 11:09, UK
LeBron James added another impressive milestone on Monday to his lengthy list of basketball accomplishments, joining the NBA's top 10 in career assists.
Already No 5 on the all-time scoring list, James became the only player in the top 10 on both lists when he passed Andre Miller with his first of 11 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' 110-105 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. James now has 8,535 career assists.
By adding 24 points and 12 rebounds, James also notched his 79th career triple-double, good for fifth place on the all-time list. Wilt Chamberlain had 78 career triple-doubles.
Ahead of James on the assist list are John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334), Magic Johnson (10,141), Oscar Robertson (9,887), Isiah Thomas (9,061), Chris Paul (9,014) and Gary Payton (8,966).
The four players James trails in triple-doubles are Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Russell Westbrook (128) and Jason Kidd (107).
The top five in points are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292) and James (32,162).
Despite the historic feat, James came away upset with his team-mates over the latest defeat.
"The last few years, everyone's so accustomed to the losses that I'm just not accustomed to," the first-year Laker said, via Spectrum SportsNet. "I'm not accustomed to it. I would never get comfortable with losing.
"If you're still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come in and be like, 'Listen, I can't do this.'
"Seriously, if you're distracted by playoff pushes and all the stuff that's been talked about this year, then (shaking his head).
"Just come and do your job. We do our job at a high level. That's not a distraction. That's what you want. Every game, you want to feel like you are fighting for something."
Click the video at the top of the page to watch LeBron's best plays from his triple-double against Memphis.
