Top 10 NBA passers of all time
Passing skills can often be overlooked in the NBA. While the ability to execute a great pass is an important skill for any team with title aspirations in the league, every basketball player should be able to master simple and fundamental passes.
We have seen some fantastic passers in NBA history. There have been some flashy passers as well as players who destroy opposing teams methodically with fundamental passing.
Top 10 passers in NBA history
A high tally of assists does not always indicate an immense ability to pass the ball with efficiency. Some players can have many assists per game simply because their team's offensive system requires them to handle the ball most of the time.
This article will rank the 10 best passers in the history of the NBA. While some names can be easily predicted, others could be surprising.
#10 Rajon Rondo
In a close call between Rajon Rondo and Mark Jackson (who remains an underrated player with more than 10,000 assists in his career), the two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers takes the 10th spot on this list.
Despite some ups and downs after he departed from the Boston Celtics in 2014, Rondo has had a tremendous NBA career that could earn a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rondo has led the NBA three times in assists per game and averages 8.2 assists per game in his career. He also tends to play a lot better during the postseason. His two NBA championships were won with good performances from him during the NBA Playoffs.
#9 Larry Bird
Larry Bird is remembered for his scoring skills and his ability to take over any game from a scoring standpoint. However, he was also a great passer who could be dominant even when he did not score 25 or 30 points in a game.
Bird could fill the stat sheet easily, and his average of six assists per game is fantastic for a true forward with a Usage Percentage that ranks 49th in NBA history.