In
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads directly to a score by
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
, meaning that they were "assisting" in the basket. An assist is also credited when a basket is awarded due to defensive goaltending.
There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist. An assist can be scored for the passer even if the player who receives the pass makes a basket after dribbling the ball for a short distance. However, the original definition of an assist did not include such situations,
[Hal Bock]
Give an assist to NBA
, ''The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', April 28, 2002. so the comparison of assist statistics across eras is a complex matter.
Only the pass directly before the score may be counted as an assist, so no more than one assist can be recorded per field goal (unlike in other sports, such as
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
). A pass that leads to a shooting foul and scoring by
free throws
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...
does not count as an assist in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, but does in
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
play (only one assist is awarded per set of free throws in which at least one free throw is made).
Point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
s tend to get the most assists per game (apg), as their role is primarily that of a passer and ballhandler.
Centers
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
tend to get fewer assists, but centers with good floor presence and court vision can dominate a team by assisting. Being inside the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
, the center often has the best angles and the best position for "dishes" and other short passes in the scoring area. Current NBA Center
Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokić ( sr-cyr, Никола Јокић, (); born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays the center position. A four-time NBA All-Sta ...
is among the league leaders in assists and play-making. Center
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...
led the NBA in total assists in 1968. A strong center with inside-scoring prowess, such as former NBA center
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...
, can also be an effective assistor because the defense's
double-teaming tends to open up offense in the form of shooters.
The NBA single-game assist team record is 53, held by the Milwaukee Bucks, on December 26, 1978.
The NBA single-game assist individual record is 30, held by
Scott Skiles
Scott Allen Skiles Sr. (born March 5, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player. He coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, Skiles played ...
of the Orlando Magic on December 30, 1990.
The NBA record for most career assists is held by
John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, ...
, with 15,806. Stockton also holds the NBA single season assist per game record with 14.5 during the 1989-1990 regular season. The highest career assist per game average in NBA history is held by
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
, with 11.2 assists per game.
See also
*
List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
This article provides two lists:
:A list of National Basketball Association players by total career regular season assists recorded
:Progressive assist leaders list
Assist leaders
This is a list of National Basketball Association players by tota ...
*
List of National Basketball Association season assists leaders
In basketball, an assist is a pass to a teammate that directly leads to a score by field goal. The National Basketball Association's (NBA) assist title is awarded to the player with the highest assists per game average in a given season. The assis ...
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
WSJ article on assists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assist (Basketball)
Assist (basketball)
Basketball terminology
Basketball statistics