Ranking LeBron James' 10 greatest assists of his career

09/26/2024 05:04 PM

LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. But while James has dismantled several defenses with his scoring, The King has also claimed to be a pass-first player. Although some of his haters may cast some doubts, James has proved to everyone that he is a legitimate playmaker.

In the 2019-20 season, when the Los Angeles Lakers won an NBA championship, James led the NBA in assists with 10.2 per game. Furthermore, the four-time NBA champion is also ranked fourth among the NBA’s all-time assists leaders with 11,009. It wasn’t also long ago when James dished out a career-high 19 dimes in a single game.

As one of the best all-around players in the NBA, passing is just one of the elite arsenals of The King. Here’s LeBron James’ 10 greatest assists of his career, ranked.

10. Big time alley-oop to Anthony Davis

Since their partnership, it isn’t surprising that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have transformed the Lakers into a legitimate championship contender, especially after winning it all in 2020 inside the Bubble. It’s safe to say that it’s their dynamic connection like this alley-oop play that makes the Lakers so dangerous.

9. LeBron’s fancy pass to D’lo

D’Angelo Russell is having a great second stint with the Lakers, giving them a reliable third star. In fact, it isn’t surprising that James loves passing him the ball, not only for heat check three-pointers but also in transition. Here, James manages to pass to D’lo despite being on a full sprint.

8. No-look pass to Kyrie Irving

The partnership between James and Kyrie Irving was special. This duo managed to win a championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the expense of the Golden State Warriors while coming back from a 3-1 Finals deficit. Their chemistry was so good to the point that James could pass him the ball without using his eyes.

7. Playing quarterback to Rui Hachimura

James claims to be a pass-first player who loves locating his teammates. Despite seeing his teammate from the other end of the court, James tapped on to his talent in football to make a long quarterback pass to a streaking Rui Hachimura, who converted an easy layup.

6. Finding D-Wade

There’s no doubt that James and Dwyane Wade made beautiful music together when they joined forces in South Beach for the Miami Heat. These two superstars were unmatched, especially in transition.

Like peanut butter and jelly, these two had each other’s backs. When James nearly slipped, Wade was on the receiving end of a bailout pass that led to an easy dunk. It’s easy to see why this duo won back-to-back NBA titles together.

5. A wraparound pass to an open Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Speaking of being a pass-first player, James loves to drive to the basket before kicking out to an open shooter. Given the amount of defenders James attracts, nearly every catch-and-shoot teammate enjoys the amount of space.

Just ask former Cavs teammate Mike Dunleavy Jr., who converted a three after James managed to find him at the other end of the baseline, thanks to an unreal wraparound pass against two defenders.

4. No-Look assist to Ante Zizic

Before he decided to play for the Lakers, James decided to do a memorable highlight reel against them. In fact, this no-look assist to a cutting Ante Zizic ultimately fooled all of the Lakers players on the floor. It led to an easy dunk for the Cavs’ Zizic against a confused Lakers five.

3. Just like old times

As mentioned previously, James and Wade make beautiful music together. Fortunately for fans, the duo reunited for one last time in Cleveland.

Despite a loose-ball play, James got ahold of it before unleashing an unexpected behind-the-back pass against five defenders for an easy layup for The Flash. It’s safe to say that Wade was one of James’ favorite teammates during his decorated NBA career.

2. Smooth behind the back for D’lo

LeBron James just threw an INSANE no-look behind the back pass for a D'Angelo Russell layup! pic.twitter.com/7IO1RxWxkY

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) January 12, 2024

Despite only joining the Lakers a season ago, LeBron James has meshed well with D’lo. In fact, against the Phoenix Suns, James managed to find the All-Star guard in the right place at the right time. To make matters more interesting, James even pulled out his classic behind-the-back bounce pass before a Russell bucket under the basket.

1. Between-the-legs pass

As The King, James loves to reward teammates who run the floor with him in transition. Despite the defense stopping the fastbreak, James decided to thread the needle while making it look easy. In fact, James executed a pass that went through the legs of the Cavs’ 2014 first-overall pick in the NBA Draft. Derrick Williams happily got the dime for an and-one play.

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