Russell Westbrook passes Gary Payton for 10th in all-time assists

Russell Westbrook

On Monday night, Russell Westbrook advanced one rung in the NBA record books thanks to his statistical supremacy. During the Lakers' 121-104 loss in Brooklyn, the former Kia MVP surpassed Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton for 10th place all-time in assists, moving him up to third place among current players 

In the league's history, Westbrook is only the second player to average a triple-double in a season. Oscar Robertson alone held the record for more than 50 years, but Westbrook broke it three times 

In the NBA, Westbrook admitted, "I never dreamed of being in this situation or reaching to the point where I'm next to some of the greats. I'm just sincerely glad and appreciative for a chance to keep playing at the greatest level and I don't take any of it for granted 

This most recent accomplishment is made possible by Westbrook's new position as the sixth man for a Lakers team that is hoping to make the playoffs, which is quite different from his MVP days 

In Oklahoma City, Westbrook, who was selected by the then-Seattle SuperSonics with the fourth overall choice in 2008, bloomed into an All-NBA guard with Kevin Durant and James Harden. When they left the Thunder through free agency and trade, respectively, Westbrook carried even more of the burden 

His latter years have seen Westbrook bounce from the Thunder to the Houston Rockets (2019-20), Washington  Wizards (2020-21) and most recently Los Angeles. Westbrook led the league in assists in 2020-21 (his lone season with the Wizards), marking his third assists crown after twice winning the scoring title with OKC