The all-time leader in assists for every NBA franchise

Young quickly became the Hawks' offensive leader when he was drafted in 2018. He's an impact scorer, with points-per-game averages routinely in the mid-20s or higher. His passing is equally important, though, so much so that he became Atlanta's all-time assists leader in just a handful of seasons, with about 4,700 and counting.

The "Houdini Of The Hardwood" was about as exciting as they came in the 1950s and '60s. The Celtics icon had the fundamentals down, but he always brought flash to the court, too. He led the league in assists per game for eight consecutive years and ended his Celtics career (Cousy had a brief comeback with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-1970 season) with just under 7,000 dimes.

Kidd only spent about a third of his playing career with the Nets. Even so, over the course of seven seasons, he was the offensive driver, leading the league in dimes twice. Of his 12,000 career assists, around 4,600 came while representing New Jersey.

Bogues was incredible: He was able to have a long and prosperous NBA career despite standing at just 5'3". Charlotte was his primary NBA home, where he was the team's floor general for a decade. Putting up over 5,500 assists for the squad, Muggsy etched his place as the franchise's all-time passing leader.

Michael Jordan's scoring and dunking are usually what most people think about first. But his offensive game was well-rounded, and in the 1989 season, he even averaged 8 assists a night alongside 32 points. Aside from his Wizards seasons, MJ ended up with a touch over 5,000 career dimes.

It's a similar story with LeBron, but in 2020 with the Lakers, he even led the league in assists per game. He had that in him during his 11 years in Cleveland, too, where he averaged 7 dimes a night. His efforts earned him over 6,200 assists for the Cavs.

During his 12 years in Dallas, Harper was lauded for his defensive abilities. He set the tone on offense, too, and was good for about 7 assists per game during his peak years in the late '80s and early '90s. He ended his career with brief stints with the Knicks, Magic, and Lakers (as well as one year back with Dallas), and for the Mavs, he notched about 5,100 assists.

Jokić truly does it all: In the 2025 season, he averaged a triple-double. That was his first time doing so, but in the years preceding, he was always very close. Jokić's legacy is still being written, but so far, he has given Denver over 5,300 assists.

In the '80s, Thomas had a four-year stretch where he averaged double-digit assists a night every season. That includes the 1985 season, when he led the league with 13.9 dimes per contest. He spent his whole career with the Pistons, a career that saw him just cross the 9,000-assist mark.

Curry has long been a shoot-first point guard, which is definitely what you want from the greatest shooter to ever do it. But he's ultimately still a point guard, and throughout his career, he has been a reliable passer. To date, his career assists total sits at above 6,500.

Harden was the engine behind the potent Rockets offense of the 2010s. He was obviously a scorer, averaging an eye-popping 26 points a game in the 2019 season, but two years earlier, he led the league in assists with 11 per night. He spent 9 years with Houston, his longest single-team stay in the NBA, and gave the franchise just under 4,800 dimes.

Miller wasn't necessarily a prolific passer. His best season on that front came in 1991, when he averaged four assists a game. But, he spent 18 seasons with the Pacers and didn't miss a ton of games, so he wound up with about 4,100 dimes in his career, more than any other Pacer.

Paul led the league in assists during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, getting about ten a night both years. He ended up spending about six years in LA, but his output was so high that it was enough to make him the team's all-time leader in assists. He ultimately ended up eclipsing 4,000 assists with the Clippers before moving on.

Right away, Magic was a superlative passer, averaging 7 assists a game in his rookie season. From 1983 to '87, he led the league in dimes per game for four out of five seasons, including a peak of 13 per night in 1984. By the time Magic said bye to the NBA, he had dished out over 10,000 assists.

During Conley's 12 seasons in Memphis, he was routinely one of the league's most underrated players. He was a steady leader for the Grizzlies, averaging about six assists a night. His consistency led to a Grizzlies career total of over 4,500 assists.

Wade played all but 106 games of his career for the Miami Heat. The face of the franchise in the 2000s and 2010s, his scoring was his main offensive impact, but he also averaged about 6 or 7 dimes a night per season in the 2000s. His longevity helped him amass over 5,300 assists in Miami.

It's hard to say Giannis isn't the greatest Buck of all time, or at least the most successful. He's the franchise's all-time leader in points... and rebounds... and assists, the latter being a stat he's not even particularly known for. He dished out over 4,200 dimes in his first 12 seasons, though.

Garnett was a tough guy to guard in the 2000s. He had double-digit rebounds per night for eight consecutive years, leading the league in the final four seasons of that stretch. KG was also a willing passer, setting up teammates to the tune of over 4,200 assists in a Timberwolves uniform.

Paul is the Clippers' all-time assists leader, but that's not even the franchise where he had the most assists. That would be the Hornets (now Pelicans), his first NBA home for six seasons. During that stretch, he had over 4,200 dimes, the most in this franchise's history, too.

One of the most iconic players of the 1970s, Frazier did a bit of everything for the Knicks. During his decade with the franchise, he averaged a solid 6 dimes a contest. That was good enough to land him at No. 1 on the all-time NYK leaderboard with about 4,800 assists.

The knee-jerk compliment to give to Payton was that "The Glove" was a standout defender. He was, but don't forget the passing: He averaged at least eight assists per game every year between 1998 and 2003. He bounced around the league a bit in his final years, but during his 13 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, he netted over 7,300 assists.

Dwight Howard was the face of the Magic in the 2000s, but Nelson was a major piece as the court general, even earning an All-Star nod in 2009. He and Howard were quite the pick-and-roll duo, which helped Nelson average about 5 assists per game in a decade in Orlando. That netted him roughly 3,500 assists for his career with the team.

Cheeks was a hard-nosed defender for Philly in the '80s, but on the other end of the court, he ran the offense. He wasn't the primary scorer, but an excellent facilitator. He ultimately ended up with over 6,200 assists during his 11 years with the Sixers.

Nash came into his own as a member of the Mavericks, but it was with the Suns that he became a two-time MVP. He made his name with his passing, leading the league in assists per game five times, all with Phoenix. In ten years with the team, he amassed a hair under 7,000 assists.

During his peak in the late '80s and early '90s, Porter averaged at least eight assists per game for five straight seasons. His passing production dropped off during his final few years with the team, getting about 5 dimes a night. But, he ultimately ended up the team's all-time assists leader with about 5,300 of them.

It's not surprising to see Oscar, the original "Mr. Triple Double," here. He spent ten years with the Cincinnati Royals, leading the league in assists per game during seven of those seasons. By the end of his Royals tenure, he had over 7,700 dimes.

It was strange to see Parker in a Hornets uniform for his final NBA season after spending the previous 17 years as one of the faces of the Spurs. From his teens to his mid-30s, Parker was a reliable point guard. His numbers were never eye-popping, but they were consistent for a long time, which ultimately led to him getting 6,800 assists for San Antonio.

After stints as a promising young guard in Houston and Memphis, Kyle Lowry became Kyle Lowry in Toronto. He has six straight All-Star seasons for the Raptors and averaged seven dimes a night over nine years with the team. Before moving on, he netted nearly 4,300 total assists.

Having Karl Malone by your side for most of your career is a fantastic way to get a lot of assists. For Stockton, it also didn't hurt that he was one of the most prolific passers in basketball history, leading the league in assists per game for an incredible nine straight seasons. Spending the entirety of his 19-year career in Utah, Stockton had over 15,800 assists, the most in NBA history (for an overall career, not team-specific) by a wide margin.

Wall, unfortunately, found himself frequently sidelined by injuries in the later stages of his career. When he managed to stay on the court, though, he was a skilled playmaker, averaging over 10 assists a night three years in a row for the Wizards. In nine seasons with the team, he put up over 5,200 assists in total.