Former Lakers forward breaks down why LeBron James' scoring milestone is less challenging than 10x All-Star's assist record

During the 2022-23 NBA season, LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's iconic scoring record and reached 40,000 points last season. Even with his achievement, former LA Lakers forward Matt Barnes believes that getting close to James' record is much easier than breaking the all-time assists record.

The legendary John Stockton finished his career with 15,806 assists and no player has come close to what he achieved. The player who trails him in the record books is Jason Kidd, who had 12,091 assists in his career.

Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson asked Barnes which record would be broken first, James' scoring record or Stockton's assist record. The former NBA player stated that reaching the scoring record might be a daunting task, but it is more doable than breaching the record set by the 10-time All-Star.

"I think there'll be a better chance at breaking LeBron's scoring record, which I think is out of reach because the ball doesn't move the way it used to move," Barnes said. "It's more one-on-one now. There's not the old-school Chris Pauls and Steve Nashes, the John Stocktons, Magic Johnsons, those kinds of point guards have kind of gone away.

"They're more scoring guards now. If any record is gonna be broken, I don't think LeBron's record is gonna be broken. But if you had to have me pick one, it would be the scoring record."

Despite what Barnes said, there are still players who value ball movement. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic are two players who love to share the ball with their teammates.

Jokic has collected 4,667 assists in his career and he's only 28 years old. Doncic, meanwhile, has racked up 3,317 assists in his young career.

Also read: JJ Redick teases possibility of LeBron James & Bronny potentially playing side by side in Lakers vs Suns preseason clash: "It's surreal"

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Where does LeBron James stand in the assist record?

Part of what has made LeBron James an effective teammate is his willingness to give up the ball for better shots. James has averaged 7.4 assists throughout his career. In the 2019-20 season, he averaged the most assists of his career with 10.2, the first and only time he averaged double digits.

Because of how he's played in his career, James has eased his way into the top five in the all-time assist leaders. In his career, the four-time MVP has registered 11,009 assists.

During the same season where he passed Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, he became fourth in the all-time assists leaders, passing Steve Nash.

James is the only player who has collected 40K points, 11K assists and 11K rebounds.

Also read: Former NBA champ eager to see LeBron James and Bronny James' first 'alley-oop' after sharing floor together