The glamour of the NBA All-Star games often revolves around the thunderous dunks and unimaginable long-range three-pointers. Yet, a subset of viewers remains on the lookout for the craftsmanship behind flashy passes. From Magic Johnson to LeBron James, the facilitators from different generations have showcased this skill set over the years.
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While their no-look passes have stunned the crowd, it is their alley-oops that have dazzled the audience the most. Based on this aspect, these NBA greats have etched their names in the event’s history. By delving deeper into the aspect, we discover five names who have mesmerized the spectators with their playmaking skills in the All-Star games.
1. Chris Paul
Chris Paul leads the chart for the most assists in the event’s history with a total of 128. The Point God has achieved this remarkable feat in a mere 12 All-Star appearances, further highlighting his game-reading ability. His average of 11.6 assists per All-Star game therefore puts him in a league of his own as he stands alone at the top.
The North Carolina-born interestingly holds the record for fourth-most assists in a single All-Star appearance, with 16. In 2016, the 2006 ROTY made the headlines after registering this stat line in just over 19 minutes. The 6″ point guard impressively repeated this feat five years later as his endeavors aided his team win the matchup.
2. Magic Johnson
The 6ft 9″ guard remains on the list as a close second with 127 assists in 12 All-Star matches. The 5x champion’s playmaking quality was a particular area of interest for NBA fans in the 1980s. He justified it by averaging 11.5 assists per game during his appearances in the event.
On this day in 1992, Magic Johnson returned. Iconic performance.
– Retired three months earlier (HIV)
– Voted into All-Star starting lineup
– Thought it’d be his last game ever
– Dropped 25 PTS and 9 AST
– Battled MJ and Isiah
– MVP pic.twitter.com/cc8pn5taK1— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2019
In 1984, the Los Angeles Lakers icon provided a glimpse into his greatness as he registered 22 assists in 37 minutes. To this day, the record stands alone as the most assists provided in a single All-Star game. Four years later, the 3x MVP cemented his name as the second-place holder in the list with 19 assists in the 1988 event.
3. LeBron James
The King continues to make his presence felt in each possible aspect of the All-Star games. With a total of 110 assists in 19 games till now, the Akron-born has solidified his spot as the third-rank holder on the list. Averaging 5.78 assists per game, the name of the 39-year-old has become synchronous with the event since his debut appearance in 2005.
Despite the outstanding achievement, the 4x champion has registered double digits in assists only once in his All-Star career. In 2011, the small forward recorded 10 assists in a single game while scoring a triple-double for the Eastern Conference. This added further volume to the importance of consistency in competitive sports ahead of his 20th appearance.
4. Isiah Thomas
The Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas ranks fourth on the table with a total of 97 assists in All-Star events. The Chicago-born reached this milestone in a mere 12 All-Star matches during his 13-year-long NBA playing career. In this stretch, the 2x champion averaged 8.08 assists per game as the point guard for the Eastern Conference.
Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Charles Barkley and Moses Malone have a backwards free-throw shooting contest in warm ups at the 1988 NBA All-Star game. #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/Do0XdI2Itx
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) February 8, 2022
On top of that, the 1990 Finals MVP had multiple double-digit performances in terms of assists in All-Star games. Notably, in both 1984 and 1988 events, the 6ft 1″ guard recorded 15 assists each. In the first instance particularly, the 1985 assists leader registered a remarkable double-double, displaying his basketball prowess.
5. Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy has solidified his place as the fifth-highest assist provider in the history of All-Star events with 86. The Boston Celtics legend achieved this feat in 13 appearances during the 1950s and early 1960s. With an average of 6.62 assists per game, the New York-born set a benchmark for the next generation.
The 6x champion reached this milestone through sheer consistency in his 14-year-long journey. The point guard recorded double digits only twice in the All-Star games with 13 being the highest. Eventually, Johnson and Thomas caught up decades later before surpassing him to set a new tone.
The table thus not only sheds light on the legends of the game but also captures the evolution of the league. Each stat line certainly serves as the source of motivation for basketball aspirants as it presents them with opportunities to create history.
