LeBron passes Magic for 6th all time in assists

MILWAUKEE -- LeBron James moved past Magic Johnson connected the NBA's all-time assists database portion wearing a Los Angeles Lakers azygous Friday, but helium knows his spot successful the pecking bid erstwhile it comes to Laker lore.

"To cognize that I'm successful the speech oregon astir to get to a constituent that I'm breaking a grounds that helium acceptable for this franchise -- and I'm not comparing myself to Magic with this franchise, what helium did, sheesh.

"Him, [James] Worthy, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O'Neal], those guys are synonymous with this franchise. But it's conscionable beauteous cool, always, erstwhile I'm capable to spot my sanction with immoderate of the greats that person played this game," James told ESPN this week erstwhile asked astir the accomplishment helium was approaching.

James acceptable the people with his ninth assistance against the Milwaukee Bucks with 8:41 remaining successful the 4th quarter, uncovering Anthony Davis for a 3-pointer connected the close helping that gave L.A. a 112-108 lead.

The Lakers held connected to triumph 133-129, beating a Bucks squad that came into the nighttime 10 games implicit .500. James finished with 28 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Davis had a season-high 44 points connected 18-for-27 shooting, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. And Russell Westbrook had 15 points connected 6-for-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and zero turnovers disconnected the bench.

"I volition accidental I consciousness similar contiguous is the astir complementary and the champion crippled with each 3 of america connected the level unneurotic that we've played connected some sides of the floor," James said of the Lakers' Big Three that has failed to acceptable unneurotic for astir of the clip since L.A. traded for Westbrook. "We each felt successful a rhythm. We each felt we was making impactful plays passim the full game."

The walk to Davis was the 10,142nd assistance of James' career, taking implicit Johnson's perch arsenic No. 6 connected the all-time list. The lone players up of James are ESPN expert Mark Jackson (10,334); Hall of Fame constituent defender Steve Nash (10,335); Phoenix Suns constituent defender and James' adjacent friend, Chris Paul (11,071); Dallas Mavericks manager Jason Kidd (12,091); and Utah Jazz large John Stockton (15,806).

James said that being associated with Johnson -- agelong considered 1 of the game's flashiest passers -- successful an assistance class is special.

"Listen, erstwhile you speech astir conscionable one-name guys erstwhile you're talking astir sports, you got Ali, Jordan, Magic. Bird," James told ESPN. "Those names are conscionable synonymous with sports. Montana. Like, you cognize who we're talking about."

Johnson served arsenic president of hoops operations for the Lakers erstwhile James signed with the squad arsenic a escaped cause successful the summertime of 2018. After a hard 2018-19 season, successful which the Lakers finished 10th successful the Western Conference contempt adding James to a radical of young talent, Johnson abruptly resigned earlier the play finale.

James, connected his barbershop-themed speech show, "The Shop," aboriginal revealed however Johnson's determination caught him disconnected guard.

"It was conscionable weird for him to conscionable beryllium like, 'I'm retired of here' and not adjacent person nary like, 'Hey Bron, buss my ass. I'm retired of here,'" James said connected his amusement successful May 2019. "I would've been OK with that. 'Hey Bron, it's Magic. Kiss my ass, I'm gone.' Not adjacent that."

Johnson looked backmost astatine his Lakers exit arsenic a impermanent connected Shannon Sharpe's show, "Club Shay Shay," successful October.

"I regret not calling LeBron to archer him I was stepping down," Johnson said. "I truly regretted that. I owed him that."

Johnson, done a representative, declined an interrogation petition for this story. James had nary remark erstwhile asked by ESPN astir the existent authorities of his and Johnson's relationship. Lakers proprietor Jeanie Buss besides declined an interrogation petition for this story, done a representative.

Johnson became the league's all-time assists person connected April 15, 1991, passing Oscar Robertson's starring people astatine the clip with his 9,888th vocation assist. Johnson did it successful spectacular manner -- dishing retired 19 assists connected the record-smashing nighttime successful a triumph implicit the Dallas Mavericks. He held the grounds for astir 4 years earlier Stockton passed him with his 9,922nd assist, appropriately, connected a provender to Karl Malone.

James told ESPN that helium learned the powerfulness of being a pass-first subordinate from his precise commencement successful the sport.

"At the extremity of the time this is simply a squad game," James said. "I've ever been brought up that way. Teams win. That's however you person to play and guys person to consciousness comfortable, guys person to consciousness similar they're a portion of something. So, erstwhile I was taught that way, I won my archetypal twelvemonth ever playing organized basketball. My 2nd year, I won the title my 2nd year. And arsenic I continued to grow, successful AAU we won tournaments. And I got into precocious school, we won.

"So, I knew what it was. It was astir guys coming unneurotic and playing unneurotic and playing for the origin of each different and not the individual."

It was an due taxable for the Lakers connected Friday. It was a full squad effort, exemplified by a play from Westbrook precocious successful the 4th fourth erstwhile helium dove connected the level for a escaped shot erstwhile Grayson Allen threw a walk to Khris Middleton that Middleton couldn't handle. Westbrook's effort allowed James to corral the bargain and propulsion the shot down the level wherever helium dumped it disconnected to a trailing Davis for a dunk to enactment L.A. up by 5 with 1:07 remaining.

Lakers manager Darvin Ham said it was the 1 clip helium showed his squad successful the locker country postgame.

"The play that says for america 'Lakers Basketball' is Russ diving connected the floor," Davis said.

For a nighttime astatine least, the Lakers looked similar the benignant of squad they hoped to beryllium erstwhile they traded for Westbrook. And James' pass-first attack seemed to infuse a small "Showtime" magic to the purple and gold's current-day group.

"The mode Magic approached the game, it was precise infectious," James said afterward. "His teammates loved playing with him due to the fact that the joyousness they played with virtually to walk the shot and get different guys the ball. He ever was excited astir seeing his teammates beryllium great, and I ever benignant of admired that."

James added: "I deliberation it's adjacent much humbling and super, duper chill that I'm doing it successful a Laker uniform, and we cognize however overmuch the sanction Magic means to the Laker franchise. It's precise humbling. Very honored to conscionable beryllium successful the aforesaid enactment and the aforesaid speech with a feline similar that."