"His ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor" - LeBron James reflects on Oscar Robertson's game after passing him on All-time assists list

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LeBron James during a game against the Atlanta Hawks

LeBron James praised Oscar Robertson in a post-game interview after the LA Lakers were thwarted by the Memphis Grizzlies, 127-119 on Sunday. James, who recorded 35 points, 7 assists and 9 rebounds, surpassed Robertson in career assists.

The legendary former Milwaukee Bucks star, who is often considered one of the greatest guards to ever play the game, has now been pushed to 8th place on the NBA's all-time assist leaders list. LeBron James moved up the ladder to the 7th spot after dishing out 7 assists against the Ja Morant-led Grizzlies.

While talking to the media about reaching this milestone, LBJ had the following to say about Robertson, as reported by Spectrum Sportsnet via a tweet:

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"His ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor because of the pass is something I always respected and gravitated towards."

Spectrum SportsNet

@SpectrumSN

"His ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor because of the pass is something I always respected and gravitated toward." @KingJames passed Oscar Robertson on the all-time assists list. He talks about how 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐎 changed the game. @LakersReporter #LakeShow

11:39 AM · Jan 10, 2022

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"His ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor because of the pass is something I always respected and gravitated toward." @KingJames passed Oscar Robertson on the all-time assists list. He talks about how 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐎 changed the game. @LakersReporter #LakeShow https://t.co/dV8mSu5LsX

Furthermore, Mike Trudell, an LA Lakers beat reporter and source for the Spectrum Sportsnet tweet, added:

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"He was one of the first really premier big guards that could do pretty much everything on the floor.”

LeBron added how much he admired Robertson’s ability to provide that sense of joy in the game by setting teammates up. Also mentioned Magic + Kidd.

Mike Trudell

@LakersReporter

LeBron on passing Oscar: "He was one of the first really premier big guards that could do pretty much everything on the floor.”

LeBron added how much he admired Robertson’s ability to provide that sense of joy in the game by setting teammates up. Also mentioned Magic + Kidd. twitter.com/LakersReporter…

Mike Trudell

@LakersReporter

* @KingJames' 9,888th assist came on a drop off pass for a Wayne Ellington 3 early in the 4th Q.

Up next: @MagicJohnson, who had 10,141 dimes in his 13 NBA seasons. twitter.com/LakersReporter…

11:09 AM · Jan 10, 2022

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* @KingJames' 9,888th assist came on a drop off pass for a Wayne Ellington 3 early in the 4th Q.

Up next: @MagicJohnson, who had 10,141 dimes in his 13 NBA seasons. twitter.com/LakersReporter…

LeBron on passing Oscar: "He was one of the first really premier big guards that could do pretty much everything on the floor.”

LeBron added how much he admired Robertson’s ability to provide that sense of joy in the game by setting teammates up. Also mentioned Magic + Kidd. twitter.com/LakersReporter…

Will LeBron James surpass Magic Johnson's assists record?

LBJ is one of the most prolific passers in the league. Although he is no John Stockton or Jason Kidd, his 9,888 assists are an impressive feat. There is a high probability that he will join the 10,000 assist club by the end of this season if he can maintain his assist numbers and remain healthy.

Magic Johnson, one of the most celebrated Lakers players, is ahead of LeBron with 10,141 assists. With 253 assists separating the two, King James will need to dish out 6 assists per game for 43 games to surpass his predecessor.

There is a misconception amongst fans and followers of the league that James developed his playmaking abilities around 2016. While it may be true that from 2016 to 2020 he never averaged less than 8 assists per game while averaging more than 9 assists per game in a season twice, James, for his entire career apart from his rookie year, has never averaged less than 6 assists per game.

Even at the peak of his career, when James was a force of nature and an unstoppable scorer, he was one of the best passers in the league. His penchant for delivering dimes is highlighted further by the fact that amongst current NBA players, only Chris Paul (10,658) has recorded more assists than LeBron James.

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