Braden Smith breaks NCAA career assist record: Purdue star passes Bobby Hurley’s mark with 1,077 dimes
Purdue senior guard Braden Smith broke the NCAA Division I men’s record for career assists in the first half of an eventual 104-71 victory over No. 15 seed Queens University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Smith passed former Duke star Bobby Hurley after finding Trey Kaufman-Renn for a bucket with 12:11 left in the first half for the 1,077th assist of his career. He set the record after tying it just minutes before, delivering an assist to big man Oscar Cluff.
Smith now has 1,083 assists in what will be his final season of college basketball after finishing with eight in the blowout victory. The No. 2 seed Boilermakers will face either No. 10 seed Missouri or No. 7 seed Miami in the second round on Sunday.
Smith, a four-year Purdue player, has become a rarity in the modern college basketball landscape because he has remained at the same school his entire career. He averaged a career-high 9.1 assists per game this season, which surpassed his mark of 8.7 assists per game last year. He dished out 11 assists in Purdue’s win over Michigan in the Big Ten title game last weekend.
Since arriving ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Smith has been a major part of the program. During the 2023-24 season, he helped Purdue reach the Final Four for the first time in 44 years, as a co-star alongside former national player of the year Zach Edey.
All-time leaders in NCAA Division I career assists
| Rank | Player | Team (years) | Total number of assists |
| 1 | Brad Smith | Purdue (2022-present) | 1,083-x |
| 2 | Bobby Hurley | Duke (1989–1993) | 1,076 |
| 3 | Chris Corchiani | NC State (1987-1991) | 1,038 |
| 4 | Ed Cota | North Carolina (1996–2000) | 1,030 |
| 5 | Jason Brickman | LIU Brooklyn (2010-2014) | 1,009 |
| 6 | Keith Jennings | East Tennessee State (1987–1991) | 983 |
| 7 | Steve Blake | Maryland (1999-2003) | 972 |
| 8 | Sherman Douglas | Syracuse (1985-1989) | 960 |
| 9 | Tony Miller | Marquette (1991-1995) | 956 |
| 10 | Aaron Miles | Kansas (2001-2005) | 954 |
x-active
Hurley, a four-year Duke player under coach Mike Krzyzewski, won two national titles with the program in 1991 and 1992 and was named Final Four MVP in 1992. He held the all-time assists record for nearly 33 years before Smith was able to break it in the NCAA tournament.
