What Is An Assist In Basketball?

An “assist” in basketball when a player passes the ball to a teammate in a position that leads to a score and it is an official tracked statistic in nearly all basketball leagues. Only the player that last passed the ball to a scorer can get an assist. There is some gray area in crediting passers with assists with some score keepers in the NBA especially giving out questionable assists to home players. There is also the term hockey assist however this is not strictly an assist itself and isn’t tracked as an official statistic although many pro teams do track them with their analytics teams. Assists can be a good measure of how good a team is at ball movement and sharing the basketball.

Are Assists Tracked Differently In Different Basketball Leagues?

The short answer to this is yes, the NBA and WNBA are quite loose with their interpretation and assists can be given out when the scorer had to do extra work to score. FIBA and the NCAA are stricter with their rules and as such assist numbers in both leagues tend to be lower than their NBA counterparts. Here is the NBA’s page on what an assist is to them, and here is a link to the NCAA’s policy and here is a link to the FIBA Statisticians Manual.

What Are Some Examples Of Assists?

As you can see from the video above “assists” can come in a variety of situations such as fast breaks, in the half court, on inbounds plays, quick outlet passes and many others. In general the consensus is that the scoring player must make a score with one dribble or less for it to be considered a true assist although sometimes stat keepers get it wrong and falsely credit assists.

In the NBA if a player is passed to and is fouled before they can score then the passing player does not get crediting with the assist even if his teammate makes both of his free throws, however in FIBA play an assist will be credited in this situation.

The NBA’s Assist Controversy

The NBA has been known to have some pretty loose guidelines regarding what does and does not constitute an assist and the NBA’s Statisticians Manual is vague and unclear on this point. It merely states that the crediting of an assist is completely up to the scorekeeper during the game and what one score keeper considers an assist another may not because of this grey area. Sometimes a pass off the backboard to a player just looks like a poor shot attempt so they don’t give out the assist and other times players dribble 3 or 4 times and still ge the assist. This inconsistency has led people to believe that NBA assist numbers are inflated and overly generous.

In this modern era of internet technology now any fan can go back and watch a game or highlights if they have an internet connection they can just go to youtube or NBA.com. This has highlighted the NBA and its loose assist definition with fans sharing compilations and clips of false NBA assists on youtube as seen below.

Which Basketball Position Gets The Most Assists?

Throughout NBA history it has mostly been point guards with the guady assist numbers and largely still is today however with the rise of more positionless basketball many teams use point forwards and even centers. Point guards still tend to be the ones who get the most though as they have the ball in their hands more than other players on their team, more time on ball more means scoring and assisting opportunties. Point guards still hold 5 of the top 10 spots this season so it doesnt look like they will be knocked off the assist throne yet. With the game moving towards a more shooting and spacing orientated landscape though big men are racking up more assists than ever before due to the opening of passing opportunities from being on the perimeter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Assists

1. Can You Assist To Yourself?

No it is not possible to get an assist from passing yourself the ball. Even if you pass it to yourself for a self alley oop no assist will be recorded. Assists can only be recorded on passes to other teammates.

2. Can Assists Be Recorded Off Of Inbounds Passes?

Yes they can as long as they meet the scorekeepers requirement for an assist. Inbounding the ball does not limit your ability to get an assist in basketball.

3. Do You Get An Assist If The Player You Passed To Is Fouled?

In the NBA they do not record assists for players passing to players who get fouled however in FIBA they do as long as a free throw is made.

4. What Does Dime Mean?

A “dime” in basketball is just another way of saying an assist. They both mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

5. Who Is The All Time Leader In Assists?

John Stockton who played his entire career for the Utah Jazz tallied a massive 15,806 assists in his career.

6. When Were Assists First Tracked?

Assists were formally recognised as a basketball statistic in 1946-1947 season of the BAA (Basketball Association of America) and soon after integrated into all professional leagues. Learn more about the BAA and the early years of the NBA here.

7. Who Has The Most Assists In An NBA Game?

Scott Skiles recorded the highest total amount of assists in a game with a huge 30, learn more about the top single game assist leaders here