Assist ( basketball ) In basketball , an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate who scores within six steps or three dribbles field goal , meaning that he or she was `` assisting '' in the basket . This person is known as the `` assistor. '' According to the Official 2004 NCAA Basketball Statistics Rules , an assist has to be `` a major part of the play , `` which either finds the player already with a `` positional advantage '' , or helps him or her get one . There is thus some judgement involved in deciding whether a player deserves an assist . An assist can be scored for the passer even if the player who receives the pass makes a basket after dribbling the ball . This definition is more generous than the original criteria , making comparisons across eras more difficult . Unlike other sports like ice hockey , an assist only counts for the pass directly before the score , and so only one assist can be recorded on each field goal . A pass that leads to a shooting foul and scoring by free throws does not count as an assist . Players can get themselves into position to receive assists in a variety of ways . The main way is to come off a screen , which , if executed properly , will leave the player open for a shot . Other times the defense will double team an offensive player , leaving someone else open to receive the assist . Point guards tend to get the most assists per game ( apg ) , as their role is primarily that of a passer and ballhandler . Centers tend to get less assists but centers with good floor presence and good court vision can dominate a team by assisting . Being inside the key , the center often has the best angles and the best position for `` dishes '' and other short passes in the scoring area . A notable center Wilt Chamberlain , who led the NBA in assists in 1968 . John Stockton , Magic Johnson , Oscar Robertson , and Bob Cousy are widely considered the greatest ever at delivering assists in the NBA . Stockton holds the record for most total assists in a career , with 15 , 806 . Behind him is Mark Jackson , whose 10 , 334 assists are a distant second to Stockton 's total . Magic Johnson holds the record for most average apg for a career with 11.2 , Stockton is second with 10 . 5 . Stockton , Jackson , and Johnson were all point guards . Oscar Robertson had 9 , 887 career assists at a time when assists were only awarded for field goals made without a dribble . He was the first player to average more than 10 assists per game in a season , and led the NBA in assists six times . Cousy led the league in assists eight straight seasons . The NBA single-game assist record is 30 , held by Scott Skiles of the Orlando Magic against the Denver Nuggets , on December 30 , 1990 . Other players that are considered to be great at giving assists are : Gary Payton , Jason Kidd , Steve Nash , Lenny Wilkens , Rod Strickland , Scott Skiles , Nate Archibald , Tim Hardaway , and Isiah Thomas , among other notables . There are many synonyms for the phrase `` making an assist '' . Some of the most popular are `` dishing the rock '' and `` dropping a dime '' . Categories : Basketball terminology | Basketball statistics In other languages : Deutsch | Italiano | Nederlands | 日本語 | Svenska | ไทย 