Chris Paul passed Jason Kidd for second on the NBA’s all-time assists leaderboard.
Chris Paul made history in the Spurs’ 121-116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. He finished the game with six points, seven rebounds and 10 assists across 31 minutes while moving to second place on the all-time assists leaderboard. With those 10 dimes, he surpassed Jason Kidd’s 12,091 tally and is up to 12,099 in his career. Paul, who is 39 years old and in his twentieth season, has a long way to go to catch John Stockton, who sits in first place with 15,806 dimes.
Paul is not the only active player who could be moving up the assist leaderboard. Here are some of the other notable active players who are primed to climb the assists leaderboard.
LeBron James could pass Jason Kidd, too
The biggest name among potential movers is LeBron James, who sits in fourth place on the all-time list with 11,219 career assists. The Lakers forward has averaged roughly 510 assists per season throughout his career. Currently sitting 872 assists behind Kidd, it would likely take him around a season and some change to pass Kidd. Passing Paul would be slightly more complicated, as LeBron would likely need to play a season or two more than Paul as they wrap up their careers.
Russell Westbrook chasing Oscar Robertson for 8th all-time
Russell Westbrook is another player who could rise a spot or two on that all-time leaderboard. Even though Westbrook has been relegated to a bench role in the Denver Nuggets’ rotation, his ability to rack up stats can’t be overlooked. He has 9,608 assists in his career and is only 279 dimes away from moving to eighth place, surpassing Oscar Robertson. Magic Johnson sits at seventh (10,141), Mark Jackson at sixth (10,334) and Steve Nash at fifth (10,335). Westbrook, who averages roughly 565 assists per season, could reach Nash if he continues to play for two or three more years after the 2024-25 season.
James Harden eyeing spot in top 10
Another current player who has the Top 10 in his sights is James Harden. He has 7,834 assists in his career, but his numbers are on the rise considering he’s more of a playmaker than a scorer in the past few seasons, a role that’s expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Harden currently sits in 14th place in the all-time assists leaderboard. Reaching the Top 10 this season might be a bit of a stretch, as Isiah Thomas has 9,061 career dimes, but that could be a feasible accomplishment in 2025-26. This year, though, he could surpass names such as Rod Strickland (7,987), Andre Miller (8,524) and, possibly, Gary Payton (8,966).
Lowry, Conley and Holiday could make moves
Kyle Lowry ranks 20th on this list with 7,050 assists, but he has a reduced role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ rotation, although he could still move a few places up the list. Mike Conley (6,390) and Jrue Holiday (6,285) could also move a few places, with Holiday being only 21 assists away from surpassing Kobe Bryant (6,306) in 34th place.
Steph Curry on a good pace
The biggest name who could experience a rapid rise on this leaderboard is Stephen Curry. The Warriors’ star is in 37th place on this list with 6,237 assists, and he could move near the 25th spot if he stays healthy. Among the notable players Curry could surpass in the coming months are Jerry West (6,238), Bryant, Stephon Marbury (6,471), Derek Harper (6,577) and Muggsy Bogues (6,726).
