LeBron James hails "tremendous" assists record

LeBron James has said that it means a "tremendous amount" to break Scottie Pippen's record for most assists by a forward in the NBA.

The four-time MVP had 11 assists during the Cleveland Cavaliers' 102-93 win over the Detroit Pistons last night, taking his career total to 6,142.

"That means a tremendous amount to me. It means a lot more than passing Allen Iverson on the scoring list in the last game because I have always taken so much pride in my passing game. To me, the greatest rush has always been helping my teammates succeed, not succeeding myself," ESPN quotes James as saying.

"I patterned a lot of my game after Scottie Pippen because he was the kind of star I thought I could be. So that's a great feeling to break a record he owns."

James passed Iverson on the points list earlier this week, making him the 22nd highest scorer in the history of the league.