- Only 28 players in NBA history have averaged at least 7.0 assists per game for their career
- There are just two players in NBA history to average 10.0 assists per game or more in their career
- Only four active players are among the top 28 players with the most assists per game in NBA history
In recent weeks, we have broken down the elite scorers in NBA history on a per-game basis as well as the most elite rebounders in history on a per-game basis. For scorers, we saw Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain take home the top honors. For rebounders, that distinction went to Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Now, it is time that we reveal the greatest passers and playmakers in NBA history on a per-game basis.
As we previously revealed, and is a well-known fact, John Stockton owns the NBA’s all-time assists record which likely won’t ever be broken in our lifetime. He stooped alone at the top of the mountain when it came to total career assists but does that measure up when we break it down on a per-game level? Rather than accumulating assists over a long period of time, assists per game reveal consistency and a peak for players that also need to be weighed heavily in conversations about who the greatest passers and playmakers are in NBA history.
These are the NBA players with the most assists per game by tiers.
Tier 5 – 7.00 APG – 7.99 APG
Mark Jackson – 7.97 APG
Rajon Rondo – 7.92 APG
Guy Rodgers – 7.75 APG
Stephon Marbury – 7.65 APG
Muggsy Bogues – 7.57 APG
Bob Cousy – 7.53 APG
Johnny Moore – 7.43 APG
Tiny Archibald – 7.39 APG
Ricky Rubio – 7.39 APG
LeBron James – 7.33 APG
Rod Strickland – 7.30 APG
Baron Davis – 7.22 APG
James Harden – 7.01 APG
Micheal Ray Richardson – 7.01 APG
We begin at the base of our tiers with Tier 5 and the players who averaged between 7.00 and 7.99 assists per game in their NBA careers. The leader of this tier is Mark Jackson, a point guard most well-known for his days with the Knicks and Pacers from 1988 through 2001. Jackson won one assists title in his career in 1997 with the Nuggets and Pacers when he averaged 11.4 assists per game. He also averaged over 10.0 assists per game as a rookie with New York in 1988 and had seven other seasons in which he averaged at least 8.0 assists per game.
Rajon Rondo is as elite as any other point guard on Tier 5 and was a playmaking savant who won two NBA championships with the Celtics in 2008 and the Lakers in 2020. Rondo won three assists titles in his career in 2012 and 2013 with Boston and again in 2016 with the Kings. He recorded four seasons with at least 10.0 assists per game and five other seasons in which he averaged at least 8.0 assists per game in his 16-year NBA career.
Guy Rodgers played 12 seasons from 1959 through 1970, most notably with the Warriors for eight seasons. Rodgers won two assists titles in his career in 1963 with the Warriors and in 1967 with the Bulls. Rodgers would record just five seasons with 8.0 or more assists and two with 10.0 or more as well. He also ranks in Tier 8 of players with the most career assists with 6,917.
Stephon Marbury is one of the most skilled and flashiest point guards in NBA history. Marbury, from a skill standpoint, was second to none during the 2000s when he took the NBA by storm with the Suns, Nets, and Knicks. Although he never won an assists title in his career, Marbury recorded seven seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game out of the 13 he played total in his career. After his NBA days were done, Marburt became a basketball legend overseas in China.
Muggsy Bogues is one of the greatest hoopers in NBA history under 6’0’’ tall. Bogues played 14 seasons in the NBA and ranks 19th in NBA history in assists per game. He recorded two separate seasons with the Hornets in 1990 and 1994 in which he dished 10.0 assists per game or more. He would also have four other seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game and six seasons with at least 7.0 assists per game.
Bob Cousy is one of the original point Gods in the NBA, nicknamed the “Houdini of the Hardwood” for his creative style way ahead of its time. Cousy won eight straight assists titles from 1953 through 1960 with the Celtics while also helping lead them to six NBA championships. Cousy had just three seasons in which he recorded over 8.0 assists per game but 10 seasons in which he had at least 7.0 assists per game.
Johnny Moore is one of the lesser-known names on our list today. He was a point guard for the San Antonio Spurs from 1981 through 1990 and ranks 21st all-time in assists per game. In 1982, he would win the only assists title of his career with the Spurs. It was one of five straight seasons in which he recorded at least 9.0 assists per game. He would finish his career averaging 9.4 points and 7.4 assists per game over the decade of service to the NBA.
Tiny Archibald is still the only player in NBA history to lead the NBA in points and assists during a single season which he accomplished in 1973 with the Kansas City Royals. It was the only assists title of his career and the only time he ever dished out over 10.0 assists per game. Archibald would have seven other seasons with at least 7.0 assists per game and would win an NBA championship with the Celtics in 1981.
Ricky Rubio is tied with Archibald for 22nd in NBA history in assists per game with 7.39 per game for their careers. Rubio, the Spanish product who was drafted ahead of Stephen Curry in 2009, last played in early 2022-23 for the Cavaliers. Rubio has always been a savvy playmaker who averaged 8.0 or more assists per game in five of his first six seasons in the NBA. He has done that just one time since then but remains among the top players with the most assists per game in NBA history.
LeBron James being on this list should not be a surprise to anybody. James’ entire career is on top or near the top of most lists that exist in NBA history. As for assists, James has one assists title to his name in 2020 with the Lakers. He has five different seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game as well as 12 seasons with at least 7.0 assists per game. Many would claim he is the greatest playmaker in NBA history and although he is elite, that may be far-fetched when looking at the rest of this list.
Rod Strickland is another underrated point guard in NBA history who ranks 25th in assists per game in NBA history. Strickland played 17 seasons in the NBA from 1989 through 2005, winning one assists title with the Wizards in 1998. Strickland had eight seasons in which he reached at least 8.0 assists per game as well as 10 seasons with at least 7.0 assists per game.
Baron Davis is one of the most underrated two-way point guards in the history of the NBA. While he dazzled audiences with his athletic dunks and defensive acumen, Davis was also an elite playmaker for a time in his career. Although he was never an assists champion, Davis had nine seasons with at least 7.0 assists per game in his 13-year career and four seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game.
James Harden is an elite scorer as well all know with three straight scoring titles from 2018 through 2020. Harden also has two assists to his name including most recently in 2022-23 with the 76ers. Harden has had four seasons in which he recorded 10.0 or more assists per game including three straight from 2021 through 2023.
The final member of Tier 5 is none other than Micheal Ray Richardson. Despite his amazing talent and skill, Richardson was suspended multiple times for his substance abuse issues which eventually led to a permanent ban from the league. Richardson did win one assists title in 1980 with the Knicks averaging 10.2 assists per game which would be one of two seasons he eclipsed 8.0 assists per game in his career.
Tier 4 – 8.0 APG – 8.99 APG
John Wall – 8.86 APG
Jason Kidd – 8.69 APG
Steve Nash – 8.49 APG
Russell Westbrook – 8.37 APG
Norm Nixon – 8.32 APG
Tim Hardaway – 8.18 APG
Deron Williams – 8.07 APG
Kevin Porter – 8.06 APG
The next members of Tier 4 all rank between seventh and 14th on the NBA’s all-time list for assists per game and are some of the most elite playmakers to ever take the court. At the top of the tier is John Wall with his 8.86 career assists per game with the Wizards, Rockets, and Clippers. Although never an assists champion, Wall has only averaged less than 8.0 assists per game in a season twice. From 2015 through 2017, he averaged 10.0 assists per game or more for three consecutive seasons as well.
Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards ever and a savant when it comes to seeing the floor and making impossible passes look routine. Kidd won five assists titles in a six-year span from 1999 through 2004 with the Suns and Nets while also appearing in two NBA Finals and nearly winning an MVP in 2003. Along with his three seasons of 10.0 assists or more, Kidd also had 11 seasons in which he dished out 9.0 assists per game.
Steve Nash was the leader and general of one of the most potent offenses in NBA history, the mid-2000s Suns. Nash won two MVP awards mostly for his playmaking ability in 2005 and 2006. He won a total of five assists titles in his career as well as recorded seven seasons with at least 10.0 assists per game. Nash only recorded less than 7.0 assists per game six times in 18 seasons in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook is another former MVP to make his way onto this list as the all-time leader in triple-doubles. He has three different assists titles to his name including four seasons in which he averaged a triple-double in its entirety. Westbrook recorded 10.0 or more assists per game in a season five times and has just three other seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game to his name in 15 seasons.
Norm Nixon is one of the forgotten members of the Showtime Lakers era but he played his part to perfection during their time atop the NBA. Although he only played 10 seasons with the Lakers and Clippers, Nixon recorded 11.1 assists per game in 1984 as a career-high and had six seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game. Nixon would earn two All-Star selections and two NBA titles in his career.
Tim Hardaway is best-known for his elite handles during his career and is one of the best ball-handlers ever. Hardaway was also an elite playmaker who ranks 12th in assists per game in NBA history. Hardaway was never an assists champ but did have two seasons with at least 10.0 assists per game in 1992 and 1993 with the Warriors. He would also have six other seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game in a total of 13 seasons in the NBA.
There was a time in the 200s when Deron Williams was neck and neck with Chris Paul for the title of best point guard in the NBA. Williams was a playmaking wizard during his career with the Jazz and Nets specifically. For four seasons straight from 2008 through 2011, Williams dished out 10.0 assists per game or more as well as two other seasons with at least 8.0 assists per game. He would earn three All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections in 12 seasons of play.
The final member of Tier 4 is Kevin Porter, a point guard with the Bullets, Pistons, and Nets from 1973 through 1983. Porter won four total assists titles in his career in 1975, 1978, 1979, and 1981. He averaged 10.0 or more assists per game three times in his career as well as 8.0 or more assists per game five times. Despite his four assists titles, Porter was never an All-Star or All-NBA Team selection.
Tier 3 – 9.00 APG – 9.99 APG
Oscar Robertson – 9.51 APG
Chris Paul – 9.47 APG
Isiah Thomas – 9.26 APG
Kevin Johnson – 9.13 APG
There have been just four players in NBA history to average between 9.0 and 9.9 assists per game in their NBA careers. The leader of Tier 3 is none other than Oscar Robertson, the original King of the Triple-Double, who won seven assists titles in his first nine seasons in the NBA. Robertson averaged at least 10.0 assists per game in a season five times and over 8.0 assists per game 11 times. The least amount of assists per game he ever dished out in a season came in his final year in 1974 when he averaged 6.4 assists per game.
Chris Paul is another one of the elite two-way guards in NBA history who runs offenses better than almost anyone ever has. Paul has won five assists titles in his career as well as six steals titles, proving my point about his two-way ability. In 16 seasons, Paul has averaged at least 10.0 assists per game seven times, 9.0 assists per game 11 times, and 8.0 assists 15 times. With 12 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, and nine All-Defensive Team selections, all that is missing from his resume is the elusive NBA championship.
Isiah Thomas was the leader and floor general for one of the most iconic championship teams in NBA history, the Bad Boy Pistons. Other than elite handles and scoring ability, Thomas was also a dangerous playmaker who made every teammate he ever had better. Thomas won an assists title in 1985 and averaged at least 10.0 assists per game four years straight from 1984 through 1987. He averaged 7.0 assists per game in 12 of his 13 seasons with 6.9 assists per game coming in his final season in 1994.
I am not afraid to share my opinion that Kevin Johnson is one of the most underrated NBA players ever and his spot at sixth all-time in assists per game is evidence for that opinion. Johnson was never an assists champion but was as consistent as they come. Johnson averaged at least 10.0 assists per game four years in a row from 1989 through 1992, and at least 9.0 assists per game seven times in 12 years. Johnson was a three-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA Team selection in his career with the Cavaliers and Suns.
Tier 2 – 10.00 APG – 10.99 APG
John Stockton – 10.51 APG
John Stockton is the only player in NBA history to average between 10.0 and 10.9 assists per game in his NBA career. It comes as no surprise for the NBA’s all-time leader in assists who won nine career assists titles, all in a row from 1988 through 1996. Stockton played 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz in the NBA and recorded more than 10.0 assists per game in 10 of them He only recorded less than 7.0 assists per game once in his career which came as a rookie when he got just 18.0 minutes of playing time.
Tier 1 – 11.00 – 11.99 APG
Magic Johnson – 11.19 APG
This brings us to the NBA’s all-time leader in assists per game, Magic Johnson. Widely viewed as the greatest point guard in NBA history, Johnson averaged 11.19 assists per game for his career, a career that was cut short due to illness after just 13 seasons. Johnson is a winner of four career assists titles but averaged at least 10.0 assists per game for nine seasons straight from 1983 through 1991. He averaged less than 7.0 assists per game one time which came in 1996 when he returned for 32 games with the Lakers.
In his career, Johnson would win five NBA titles as the leader of the Showtime Lakers as well as three MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections, and 10 All-NBA Team selections.
