LeBron James Is Very Close To Passing Magic Johnson On This List

LeBron James is just 97 assists away from passing Magic Johnson on the all-time total assists list (sixth place). Ironically, both players played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

For many reasons, LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA, but one thing that maybe doesn't get talked about enough is his passing ability. 

The 37-year-old has dished out at least 7.0 assists per contest in 12 of his 19 seasons in the NBA. 

In 2020, he led the NBA in assists per game when he had 10.2 per contest. 

This season, he will also add another significant milestone to his historic resume.

The four-time NBA Champion is just 97 assists away from passing Magic Johnson on the all-time list for total assists (h/t NBACentral and ESPN).

LeBron James needs just 97 assists to pass Magic Johnson on the all-time assist ladder 🤯

(h/t ESPN) pic.twitter.com/JGpJC3R0sF

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 27, 2022

Passing Johnson would put him in sixth place.

Johnson finished his career with 10,141 career assists over his 13 seasons in the NBA.

He leads the NBA all-time in assists per game (11.2).

James currently has 10,045 total career assists, but his averages are 7.4 per contest over 19 seasons.

Longevity helped James here. 

Last season, he averaged 6.2 assists per contest, so if he has similar numbers this year, he will likely break Johnson's record within the first 16 games of the 2022-23 regular season. 

The Lakers will look to rebound from a tough season where they missed the NBA Playoffs (and play-in tournament) with a 33-49 record, finishing as the 11th seed in the Western Conference. 

This will be James' fifth season in Los Angeles and 20th in the NBA. 

They will play their first regular season game on Oct. 18th when they visit Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, California, at the Chase Center. 

More on the Los Angeles Lakers can be read here