Russell Westbrook made history Saturday when the Sacramento Kings took on the Dallas Mavericks. Now playing in his 18th season, Westbrook once again reached a major milestone in his career.
This time, he surpassed a Los Angeles Lakers legend in the record books. Given the magnitude of Westbrook’s achievement, Lakers star LeBron James couldn’t help but share his thoughts on the matter.
LeBron James Reacts as Russell Westbrook Climbs Up the All-Time Assists Ladder
When the Kings faced the Mavericks on Saturday, Westbrook was one assist shy of surpassing Earvin “Magic” Johnson on the all-time assists list. Prior to the game, Westbrook had 10,140 career assists.
The Kings went on to beat the Mavericks, 113-107. Westbrook finished with 21 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and one steal. With those nine assists, he officially moved into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assists list, overtaking Johnson.
James’s friend on social media, Cuffs The Legend, gave a major shoutout to Westbrook, his former Lakers teammate, on X. He acknowledged the Kings guard’s greatness and gave him his flowers.
Russ is one of the all-time greats! Flowers given 💐 https://t.co/nsFMoIEZzk
— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) December 28, 2025
James responded to the post with a fax machine emoji and a bouquet emoji, using the fax to signify “facts” and the bouquet to symbolize giving flowers.
📠! 💐
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 28, 2025
With 51 games remaining in the season, Westbrook still has a chance to continue climbing the record books. As of this writing, he is 187 assists away from surpassing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash on the all-time list.
All Westbrook needs to do is average at least four assists per game for the remainder of the season to move into fifth place. Given that he is averaging 7.2 assists per game this year, he could realistically reach the milestone well before the season ends.
If Westbrook does climb to fifth before the regular season concludes, his next challenge would be overtaking James. However, with LeBron still actively playing, that feat may take some time.
As of this writing, James sits fourth all-time with 11,673 career assists. He is 419 assists shy of passing Jason Kidd, who ranks third with 12,091.
James would need to average at least 7.9 assists per game for the rest of the season to claim third place by year’s end. Given that he is currently averaging 6.8 assists, it is more likely that the milestone comes next year — assuming he does not retire before then.
