The Sacramento Kings secured a hard-fought 113-107 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup that promised high-level competition from both franchises. However, all eyes were on Russell Westbrook, who made NBA history by surpassing a Los Angeles Lakers legend on the all-time assists list.
Veteran Russell Westbrook has surpassed Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assists leaderboard. After Westbrook starred for the Kings in overtime during a 125-114 win against the Houston Rockets, he continued his impressive week for Sacramento.
Westbrook eclipsed Johnson’s 10,141 career assists in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Mavericks. By doing so, he officially moved into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assist leaders list, surpassing the record of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
An assist to Keon Ellis in the first quarter against the Mavericks helped Westbrook climb the league’s assist record books, marking a major milestone in his storied career.
Magic Johnson during a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Westbrook’s numbers with the Kings and the next target
Westbrook is averaging 14.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds for the Kings this season. He joined Sacramento as his seventh NBA team via a one-year, $3.6 million veteran’s minimum contract this past offseason.
see also
Is Trae Young playing today, December 27, for Hawks vs Knicks?
The next target for Westbrook is Mark Jackson’s career total of 10,334 assists. John Stockton remains the all-time leader with 15,806 assists across his 19-year NBA career.
Westbrook now trails only John Stockton (15,806), followed by Chris Paul (12,552), Jason Kidd (12,091), LeBron James (11,673), Steve Nash (10,335), and Mark Jackson (10,334) on the NBA’s career assists leaderboard.
Westbrook’s career achievements
This latest milestone adds to an already decorated career. Westbrook is a nine-time NBA All-Star, former NBA MVP (2017), and two-time scoring champion. He has also led the league in assists three times and remains the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles.
