Russell Westbrook’s statistical dominance saw him climb another rung in the NBA record books Monday night. The former Kia MVP passed Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton for 10th in all-time assists during the Lakers’ 121-104 loss in Brooklyn, making him the third active player in that group.
Westbrook’s groundbreaking production saw him become just the second player in league history to average a triple-double in a season, a feat he achieved three times after Oscar Robertson alone bore that single-season standard for over 50 years.
This latest milestone comes in a much different role than his MVP days, as Westbrook has become the sixth man for a Lakers team fighting to return to the playoffs.
The fourth overall pick by the then-Seattle SuperSonics in 2008, Westbrook flourished into an All-NBA guard alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden in Oklahoma City. When they left via free agency and trade, respectively, Westbrook shouldered even more of the load for the Thunder, with staggering individual success as a result.
His latter years have seen Westbrook bounce from the Thunder to Houston, Washington 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.
A nine-time All-Star and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Westbrook now needs fewer than 100 assists to pass Isiah Thomas next on the all-time assists list.
