Who recorded the most assists in one NBA season? The all-time leaders

Passing has always been one of the NBA’s purest forms of control. Long before pace-and-space became the norm, certain players dictated games by seeing openings others never noticed, turning assists into the language of dominance.

A handful of seasons stood apart—not because of scoring explosions, but because of vision, timing and trust. These were years when ball movement defined teams and one player became the engine of everything.

The record for most assists in a single NBA season isn’t just a number frozen in history. It reflects a style of basketball, a moment in time, and a group of elite playmakers whose influence still echoes through the league.

Who holds the record for most assists in a single season?

Few statistical peaks in NBA history tell the story of a season better than the one held at the top of the assists leaderboard. At the summit sits John Stockton, the Utah Jazz point guard whose vision and consistency translated into a historic season during 1990-91, when he dished out 1,164 assists over 82 games.

John Stockton in 2001 (Source: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

His mark didn’t emerge overnight. It was the final flourish in a stretch of prolific playmaking in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In that era of fast tempo and full-court orchestration, he not only led the league in assists repeatedly but also redefined what it meant to be a floor general, setting a record that still stands decades later.

Behind his achievement lies a lineage of passers whose contributions shaped the modern game. Before him, figures like Isiah Thomas and Kevin Porter pushed the total-assist barrier beyond 1,000, but Stockton’s sustained excellence and ability to stay atop the assists rankings season after season elevated his single-season total into the record books.