Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) passes around Northern Kentucky Norse guard Dan Gherezgher Jr. (0). Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Purdue Star Braden Smith Hit Another Career Milestone vs. Michigan State

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Feb 26, 2026 8:32 PM ET

Braden Smith has joined elite company in college basketball. On Thursday night, Purdue's senior guard became just the fifth player in NCAA history to reach 1,000 career assists.

Smith, who already broke the Big Ten assist record earlier this season, accomplished the feat as No. 8 Purdue hosted No. 13 Michigan State at Mackey Arena. He entered the game with 994 assists, needing just six to hit 1,000.

Smith recorded his 1,000th assist on a fastbreak pass to Trey Kaufman-Renn. Ironically, the ball didn't go throug the hoop, but Michigan State was called for goaltending on the sot attempt.

The only other players to eclipse 1,000 assists in college basketball are:

Bobby Hurley, Duke — 1,076
Chris Corchiani, NC State — 1,038
Ed Cota, North Carolina — 1,030
Jason Brickman, Long Island — 1,007

With three games remaining in the regular season and an entire postseason ahead, Smith still has an opportunity to break Hurley's all-time record, which he set when he played at Duke from 1989-93.

Smith is one of the elite passers in the history of college basketball. Whether he surpasses Hurley's record or not, he'll always be remembered as one of the all-time greats to play the position.

Braden Smith's career numbers at Purdue

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Smith has been outstanding during his four seasons at Purdue. Not only has he reached 1,000 career assists, but he's also scored more than 1,700 career points, pulled down more than 600 rebounds and has accounted for more than 200 steals.

As a result, he's been a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, was a first-team All-American and was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2025. He was also the winner of the Bob Cousy Award last season, presented to the best point guard in college basketball annually.

Smith has also helped his team to two Big Ten regular-season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and three — soon to be four — NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2024, the Boilermakers reached the National Championship Game for the first time since 1969.

It's been an incredible career for Smith, both as an individual player and as a member of one of the top programs in college basketball.

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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