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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James passed Oscar Robertson for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assist leaderboard following Sunday night’s 7-assist performance against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Despite missing multiple games and recently taking on the role of the Lakers’ starting center, James is still averaging nearly seven assists per game this season.

As reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in 2016, his ability to efficiently distribute the ball is particularly noteworthy, especially at his position.

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“LeBron breaks all the passing rules. You’re not supposed to leave your feet and pass. … You’re not supposed to pass through traffic. He throws backhanded fastballs that buzz the ears of two defenders. He always knows where everyone is going to be.”

James is in the presence of some elite company and is the only non-guard in the top 10. Here’s where he sits among the NBA greats:

Assists: 15,806

Games played: 1,504

If there was a prototype for point guards, its style of play would be very similar to that of Stockton. The Utah Jazz great had 19 consecutive playoff appearances during his career.

Per NBA.com, Stockton’s other assists records include: most in a season (1,164); highest average for a season (14.5); most seasons leading the league (nine); and most consecutive seasons leading the league (nine).

The two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer also holds the No.1 spot on the NBA’s all-time steals list.

Assists: 12,091

Games played: 1,391

Selected second overall in the 1994 draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Kidd had a knack for dishing the ball. He was also a member of the Phoenix Suns, then-New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks

His 4,620 assists remain a franchise record for the Nets as he averaged more than nine assists per game with the team.

He won his only NBA championship alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Co. in 2011 and returned to Dallas as its head coach in 2021.

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Assists: 10,658 and counting

Games played: 1,128 and counting

Nicknamed the “Point God,” Paul moved into the third place in November 2021.

He spent most of his career with the New Orleans Hornets (now New Orleans Pelicans) and LA Clippers, where he averaged 9.9 and 9.8 assists per game in the regular season, respectively. He is the all-time assists leader for both franchises.

The beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season was quite eventful for Paul. Along with reaching the milestone above, he became the first NBA player to tally 20,000 points with 10,000 assists and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

Assists: 10,335

Games played: 1,217

Under head coach Mike D’Antoni, Nash was a part of an early 2000s Phoenix Suns team that was known for its offensive prowess. The “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns took the league by storm. And, for a few years, it worked, as Nash was named the league’s MVP in two consecutive seasons and finished as the runner-up to Nowitzki in a third.

Assists: 10,334

Games played: 1,296

Jackson played for seven teams across his 17 seasons in the NBA. He spent most of his career with the Knicks. Jackson averaged over 10 assists in his inaugural season and was named the 1988 Rookie of the Year.

He split time between the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets in the 1996-97 season and averaged 11.4 assists per game.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Assists: 10,141

Games played: 906

As one of two players to record over 10,000 assists in less than 1,000 games, Johnson is regarded as the greatest point guard in NBA history.

Johnson averaged a double-double every season from 1982 to 1991 and led the NBA in assists four times. The Lakers’ legend remains the all-time leader in assists and triple-doubles for the franchise.

Assists: 9,888 and counting

Games played: 1,339 and counting

Still going strong in Year 19, James is well within reach of joining the six players above him in the 10K-assist club.

A self-proclaimed “pass-first guy,” his r?sum? speaks volumes as a four-time MVP, Finals MVP and NBA champion.

A significant chunk of his assists (6,228) came when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Assists: 9,887

Games played: 1,040

Robertson defined dominance and versatility at the guard position. In his first year, he averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and an NBA-high 9.7 assists, earning rookie of the year honors.

In his second year, he became the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season, a distinction he held until Russell Westbrook joined him after the 2016-17 season. Robertson, a member of the 35th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams, has his jersey numbers retired by the Sacramento Kings (then-Cincinnati Royals) and Milwaukee Bucks.

Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images

Assists: 9,061

Games played: 979

Thomas and Johnson are the only players in the top 10 who played less than 1,000 games.

His “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons were known for their gritty defense, and Thomas brought that same approach to the offense. He spent his entire career with Detroit and sits atop the franchise’s all-time assists list, with the next closest entry being 4,449 less than his career total.

Assists: 8.996

Games played: 1,335

Widely known for being a lockdown defender, Payton is the only point guard to win Defensive Player of the Year. However, his offensive contributions are also noteworthy.

Payton recorded most of his assists (7,386) as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder). He remains the franchise’s all-time assists leader, with Westbrook sitting in second place with 6,897.

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Coach Billy Donovan wasn’t trying to stain the Bulls’ nine-game winning streak. Considering all the Bulls have been through in the last month, it was a good accomplishment.

There’s a bigger picture for Donovan, however, and he’s not really into what he called ”some little winning streak.”

”I’ve been talking about this a little bit,” Donovan said. ”I’m hoping it’s something we can get better from.”

On a night the Bulls faced a team that was playing the best defense in the league in the last three weeks, the unsustainable outside shooting caught up with them. Just like that, the winning streak was over.

The Mavericks outplayed the Bulls on both ends of the floor in a 113-99 victory in Dallas. Luka Doncic led the way with a triple-double of 22 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds.

”It’s a game I’m hopeful that we can get better from and grow from in terms of watching film and seeing areas we were maybe able to get away with some things that we couldn’t get away with [Sunday],” Donovan said. ”Not that the [players] were intentionally trying to get away with them, but things are going to be a bit more challenging.”

Since returning from five games in the NBA’s health-and-safety protocols, Donovan has publicly — and privately, undoubtedly — emphasized to his players that all was not as it seemed during the hot streak.

The Bulls were red-hot from three-point range, played a lot of teams missing key players and hadn’t really been challenged defensively. That allowed them to roll despite some bad habits, especially on the defensive side, and it was obviously bothering Donovan.

”You cannot always measure yourself just because you’ve been getting the outcome,” Donovan said.

The good news for the Bulls was that the loss didn’t cost them much. Sure, their longest winning streak since April 2011 was over, but the Bulls remained atop the Eastern Conference at 26-11.

”We just didn’t play well enough to win, and they played a very good game,” center Nikola Vucevic said. ”I don’t think [the streak was] something we talked about much. We were just trying to continue to get better, continue to work on things.

”A lot of different areas we can work on [defensively]. I just don’t think the defense is consistent enough throughout games.”

It’s not easy when key defensive pieces are in and out of the lineup, but the entire NBA has been dealing with that. Donovan didn’t want that to be an excuse.

The defensive miscues happened all game against the Mavericks, but they stood out in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls trailed by 15 with 4:47 left and were trying to make one final push. DeMar DeRozan made a mid-range jumper, but the Mavericks responded with an easy layup by Jalen Brunson.

The Mavericks then got a three-pointer from Dorian Finney-Smith and an uncontested layup from Doncic, leading Donovan to pull his starters with 2:21 left.

Donovan said he Sunday would serve as a little wake-up call.

”We’ve got to look at the totality of where we’re really at,” Donovan said. ”Where are we heading and where are we going? How are we trending?”

DeRozan and Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 20 points each.

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There likely will be some big changes coming for the Chicago Bears in the next day or so as both Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are on the hot seat. But there will be changes with players on the roster as well.

One veteran that likely played his final game in Chicago is defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. The veteran has spent most of last season and this season hurt but has managed to return to help his team despite the injuries. While Chicago finished up the season in Minnesota on Sunday, Hicks was absent with an ankle injury.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks didn’t travel for the season finale, but he was following along on social media. And liking, if you’re the Bears, all the wrong things.

Hicks clicked ”like” on tweets that detailed what receiver Darnell Mooney had to say about the Bears’ offensive struggles — ”I don’t call the plays,” Mooney said — and another with a meme that asked, ”Why won’t you run the ball?”

Perhaps more damning was that he ”liked” a tweet sent during the game that said: ”The Bears should be leading this game comfortably. They’re now losing.”

Hicks’ tenure with the Bears is likely over. He has talked all season about coming to terms with the fact that the team wouldn’t give him a contract extension after his deal expired at the end of the season.

His time in Chicago ended in ugly fashion. The Athletic reported that Hicks argued with position coach Chris Rumph last week, prompting Hicks to not be in attendance at Halas Hall. It’s unclear if he left of his own volition or if the Bears sent him home.

The Bears said Hicks didn’t practice all week because he was dealing with the same ankle injury that had bothered him since he hurt it Nov. 8 against the Steelers.

On Friday, coach Matt Nagy was uncharacteristically terse when asked about Hicks’ contributions.

Mooney reaches milestone

Mooney didn’t set out to surpass 1,000 receiving yards this season; he wanted more.

”At the beginning of the season, I wanted to be dominant,” he said. ”[Sunday was] not as dominant as I wanted to be. A lot of the guys congratulated me. The receivers tell me it’s a very big thing, so I take credit for it, but it’s not my biggest. I definitely have more to show than just 1,000 yards.”

Mooney broke into quadruple digits in the second quarter on his way to a career game. He had 12 catches for 126 yards — both were career highs — and finished with 81 catches for 1,055 yards.

Mooney was asked how much he would work with quarterback Justin Fields in the offseason. His answer: a lot, starting Monday.

”We’ll get our exit meetings, and we’re off to Florida,” he said.

Fields should make sure he’s healthy first. He tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

Schedule set

When the Bears officially finished third in the NFC North, their 2022 schedule was set.

In addition to their six division games, they’ll host the 49ers, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Texans and Washington. They have nine home games next season after playing nine road games this season.

They’ll travel to play the Cowboys, Falcons, Patriots, Giants and Jets.

This and that

Outside linebacker Robert Quinn got a half-sack Sunday, setting the Bears’ single-season record at 18 1/2 .

o Receiver Allen Robinson capped perhaps the most disappointing season of his career with two catches for 22 yards. In 12 games, he had 38 catches for 410 yards after being hit with the franchise tag last offseason.

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The first Monday after the regular season ends is often referred to as Black Monday in the NFL. It is the day when most of the unsuccessful teams fire their head coach, general manager, or both.

The Chicago Bears are expected to be one of those teams.

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For the first time in his young career, Patrick Williams is on the other side of it.

In the film room rather than on the court.

Understanding how the scouting reports are being put together rather than simply reading them.

The hope for the Bulls and coach Billy Donovan is the injured power forward comes out of it having a better understanding of the mental part of the NBA game. Time will tell.

“In talking to him a little bit it’s opened up some things for him – being a young player – to see,” Donovan said on Sunday. “I’m not saying he’s presenting scouting reports to the team, but he’s back there in the video room with the video guys, he’s getting a chance to doing a lot of that film work. In talking to him about that perspective it’s a lot different than being out there on the floor because it’s a lot slower when you’re watching it on film and you can break it down. We’ve tried to keep him engaged that way and he’s done a really good job.”

As far as a more detailed timeline on Williams returning from left wrist surgery, those goal posts haven’t moved one way or the other. He was expected to miss the regular season, and until he gets deeper into the actual rehabilitation process there are still unknowns.

Could he be back for a playoff run or even earlier? Donovan isn’t into making predictions.

“He’s got the cast off, he’s obviously doing a lot of rehab to regain some strength in his forearm and his wrist,” Donovan said. “The surgery was incredibly detailed in terms of what he had done, so it was really critical that he didn’t do anything with that hand [initially]. He did a good job and he’s progressing. Now the next step is getting back his range of motion, getting back his strength.”

Williams’ loss to the injury back in late October was obviously a huge gut-punch to the former fourth-overall pick and the franchise.

He represented the first pick of the new-look Arturas Karnisovas regime, and really flashed his rookie season as a legit two-way player. Williams did look tentative in the five regular season games he did play in before suffering the injury, but considering the massive roster flip the Bulls underwent that was almost expected.

What will be interesting for the Bulls if Williams can make it back late in the season or for the playoffs is how much would they use him? Unless a deal is made by the Feb. 10 trade deadline, Williams gives the Bulls their best option at the four, especially from a size standpoint.

On the other hand, the chemistry with him sidelined has been stellar, so how much do they want to mess with that?

It’s a problem, however, that both Donovan and Williams hope they have to figure out.

Training room

Donovan did have some good news on the injury front, as the testing numbers for Alex Caruso to get out of the health and safety protocols continued going in the right direction, and the team was hoping for a clearer timetable on Monday, when Caruso is scheduled to test again.

As far as Javonte Green (groin) and Tyler Cook (left ankle sprain)? Not as promising a forecast, according to the coach.

“Javonte is progressing, he’s getting better, but I think he’s still weeks away,” Donovan said. “Tyler is at least walking and moving around now, but I’d say he’s still a couple weeks away from being available.”

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MINNEAPOLIS — To the end, Matt Nagy stayed true to himself. As it turned out, that’s what he does best.

After a season-long inquisition of denying reports of his firing as the Bears head coach and a never-ending flurry of raw, pointed questions about his struggling offense and his failing team, Nagy wasn’t about to crack after a 31-17 loss to the Vikings on Sunday put the Bears out of their misery.

With a hint of resignation about his imminent firing Monday after a 6-11 season, Nagy acknowledged the reality of the Bears’ record in his four seasons, but accentuated the positive and pointed toward a bright future with or without him.

“Whatever has happened in my four years here — good and bad — there’s a reason for all of it. There’s a reason why this is happening right now,” Nagy said. “As a leader you’ve got to make sure you stay positive. You’ve got to make sure you lead and you’ve got to use it to make yourself better.

“Regardless of what happens … I promise you I’m gonna do that. I’m going to let this refine me, not define me.”

As has been the case throughout the trying season, Nagy never bristled in his post-game press conference. He wasn’t ready for introspection or for analyzing what went wrong in his four seasons. He knows he didn’t get the job done. But he doesn’t think he and general manager Ryan Pace burned the place to the ground.

“There’s a really good franchise quarterback here that’s going to be good for a long time,” Nagy said. “And both Ryan and I were a part of that.”

No doubt, rookie quarterback Justin Fields could be a lasting legacy of the Nagy era — though any future success Fields has likely will be seen as a knock on Nagy more than anything. But Nagy didn’t stop there, claiming linebacker Roquan Smith, running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, tight end Cole Kmet and tackles Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom as current or future success stories he helped write.

“There’s a really bright future for our team,” Nagy said. “Roquan Smith — he’s only getting better and better. For me, selfishly with Ryan, that was a first draft pck of mine that I’ve ever been a part — where you’re there with Ryan doing it — so I’m proud to see him grow.

“You look at a guy like Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet and now you’ve got these young tackles — and there’s a really good youthfulness to the offense and I think there’s still some time. You’ve got Justin, you’ve got other pieces.”

After four seasons, it’s Nagy’s right to accentuate the positive, but his outlook ranges from reality to fantasy land. He just needs more time..

“When you look at what’s gone right with the players that we have in this building right now, I think we all understand that isn’t something that just happens in one or two years,” Nagy said. “When you draft a player, it takes a little bit of time to get that player going. And when you draft a lot of players together, it takes several years.

“And now all of a sudden you get to the point where they’re rocking and rolling because they’re now three or four years into it — and that’s where we’re at right now.”

Nagy believes this group is ready to take off — good football players, great leaders, high-character guys — the kind of players you win the Super Bowl with.

“The more of those you have, you win a lot of games. And then you have an opportunity to get in the dance and win the whole thing. That’s what this team has right now. It’s there, and that’s what I’m selfishly proud of, with Ryan. And the excitement of Justin at quarterback, because Justin’s going to have a very bright future.”

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MINNEAPOLIS – Matt Nagy’s Bears career was brought to its almost-certain end Sunday by the same franchise-crippling issue he was brought in to fix: the quarterback.

On fourth-and-1 with about five minutes to play, Andy Dalton — the veteran on whom Nagy planned to stake his must-win season months ago — dropped back to pass and, rather than take a sack, threw a prayer down the left sideline.

Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson intercepted the pass, sprinted down the field and then across it – only one Bears player, Cody Whitehair even touched him – on his way to a 66-yard touchdown.

Dalton threw an astounding 48 times in a 31-17 loss to the Vikings. That’s almost as many as the 54 Mitch Trubisky threw against the Saints in 2019, which prompted Nagy to assert that he was “not an idiot” and knew he needed to run the ball more.

More amazingly Sunday, Dalton was sacked on fourth-and-5 and twice on fourth-and-1, losing 35 yards in the process.

Dalton’s 77.2 passer rating in a who-cares game wasn’t nearly as damning as the way Nagy handled two first-round draft picks: Trubisky and Justin Fields. The former was a Pro Bowl injury replacement in his first year under Nagy but regressed the next two seasons and is now the Bills’ backup. The latter, drafted No. 11 overall this year, played only 10 games, hampered by injury and illness and a coach who stubbornly insisted on giving Dalton all the training camp reps.

That only harmed Fields, whose teammates had to learn how to play with him in real time – starting in Week 3.

“At first it was, just chemistry-wise, just having to learn each other,” receiver Darnell Mooney said Sunday when asked about the offense’s struggles all year long. “With Andy coming in, the only thing we could do with training camp and some offseason things, it helped. But in the process, when he got hurt, and then Justin came in. You just gotta learn that.”

It amounted to coaching malpractice. The potential franchise quarterback was never given a chance to earn the starting job over Dalton. He was so removed from the competition that other starters had to adjust to him when Dalton hurt his knee in Week 2. In between, Nagy wanted to use him as a gadget player.

In a strange bit of revisionist history, Nagy expressed optimism about Fields on Sunday, calling him “a really good franchise quarterback,” after making it clear at the start of the season that he’d rather play the veteran.

The result was an offense that was perennially disappointing and a rookie quarterback who was never able to get his footing. After his encouraging fourth quarter in Pittsburgh on Nov. 8, Fields started and finished only two games. The Bears had to return to Dalton, who is on a one-year deal, and, for one game, third-stringer Nick Foles.

“I think when you switch quarterbacks, there’s things that go into that.” Dalton said. “There’s a lot of time that was spent in training camp with guys that they didn’t get with Justin, where [the starting job] went to Justin. And then when he got hurt and I’m back in there and then Nick gets to play.”

Four years ago, Bears general manager Ryan Pace stood at Halas Hall and introduced Nagy as his head coach.

“There’s a value of pairing a strong head coach, that has a strong offensive mind, with a young quarterback,” he said then. “And the value of that going forward – we’ve seen that around the league.”

But not with their own team. And that, more than any other reason, should justify Nagy’s firing.

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J.W. Smith, who was one of the Public League’s most successful football coaches before introducing numerous innovations as its executive director of sports administration, died on Saturday.

He was 84.

Smith began a 40-year career in Chicago Public Schools in 1963, serving as an assistant football coach at Harlan and Kenwood before taking over as head coach at Julian.

His teams won eight Public League titles and two Prep Bowls, and qualified for the IHSA playoffs six times.

Along the way, he became close friends with longtime Robeson coach Roy Curry. Their teams developed a spirited rivalry that grew into a tradition where they played the first Sunday of each season at Gately Stadium.

Curry recalled their 1982 meeting: “Both of us had great teams. I had the team that finished second in the state [in Class 5A], he had the team that won the [Public League] championship.”

It was a sweltering afternoon, with a temperature in the 90s and humidity above 80%. The teams battled through regulation and into multiple overtimes.

“I looked at my kids [and thought], ‘I can’t go no more,'” Curry said.

So he met Smith and midfield and they agreed to call the game a tie — a decision which Curry said led to the coaches getting some flak from the IHSA.

But Curry still thinks it was the right call, and he thinks it says a lot about Smith.

“Everybody loved J.W. because he was a great communicator,” Curry said.

The two collaborated again late in Smith’s career. In 2000, at the urging of his wife, Curry retired from coaching and joined Smith’s staff at CPS sports administration.

“It was a no-brainer,” he said. “We always were close.”

It noted not just Smith’s many contributions to CPS sports, but also the rest of his academic and other professional resume. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois, a master’s in physical education from Indiana and a doctorate in education administration from UIC.

Smith’s tenure as the Public League’s sports chief was notable for a number of initiatives that sought to close the gap between CPS schools and their Catholic League and suburban rivals. Among them:

– An elementary school program of 14 sports was launched;

– Freshman and sophomore levels were established;

– The number of paid coaches per school was doubled;

– Summer sports camps were launched;

– Conferences were realigned to provide better competitive balance;

– Indoor track was reinstated, and lacrosse, golf, water polo and boys 16-inch softball were added;

– A no-pass/no-play policy was instituted.

Smith retired in 2003 and his achievements were recounted in an Illinois House of Representatives resolution.

Besides serving as a teacher in CPS, Smith also had a stint as principal at Adam Clayton Powell Elementary.

“He strongly believed that interscholastic athletics positively supported the educational process,” said Thomas Smith, one of Smith’s four children, who followed his footsteps into CPS sports administration.

“It was a thing to help students learn and succeed,” Thomas Smith said. “It wasn’t just sports for sports’ sake.”

J.W. Smith’s survivors also include his wife, Deborah; and daughters Ginger Bryant, Shelia Morris and Kelli Smith.

Services are pending.

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