LeBron James is now fourth all-time in assists and the only non-guard in the top 34 on the all-time assists list.

LeBron James had plenty of big moments in the Los Angeles Lakers 129-123 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. With his triple-double last night, LeBron became the first player to record a triple-double after year 20 in the league.

With LeBron’s 28 points, he is now only 89 points away from becoming the all-time leader in points. LeBron also accomplished another amazing feat on Tuesday night. With his 11 assists, LeBron passed not only Mark Jackson but also Steve Nash on the all-time assists list. LeBron is now in fourth place all-time with 10,336 assists. He passed Nash on this pinpoint pass to Thomas Bryant for the dunk.

What makes this accomplishment so remarkable

Anytime you are in the top five all-time of any major categories, that means you are the elite of the elite. What also makes this remarkable is that LeBron is the only non-guard in the top 34. You dont see another non-guard until Scottie Pippen at number 35. So yes, LeBron is running the point a lot of the time for the Los Angeles Lakers, but that is not his natural position, and being a 250-pound forward makes this even more remarkable.

Think about it: in probably three games or less, he will be the all-time leading scorer and finish in the top four in assists. That is an accomplishment I dont think we will ever see again in NBA history, at least not in most of our lifetimes. Of course, LeBron will probably not catch Chris Paul, who is third and a little under 1000 assists ahead of LeBron, but finishing number four all-time sounds like a good place to be when you are talking about the 70-plus-year history of the NBA.

Yes, becoming the all-time leader in points is the greatest single accomplishment a player can have when it comes to individual stats, but it’s something to be said for a 250-pound forward being amongst some of the greatest point guards ever on the all-time assists list.

I grew up in Houston and am a lifelong Rockets fan, but when you have the chance to witness greatness, you sit back and enjoy the show regardless of what team they play for. Legends dont come around often, so enjoy greatness while you can.

No injury is funny, but this would be hilarious.

Nobody ever wishes for a player to be injured, but if something happens to Derek Carr it would set in motion a chain of events resulting in one of the funniest things to happens in NFL history.

Carr was named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, along with Tyler Huntley in one of the funniest/saddest examples of how far the game has sunk. At least Carr had a sense of humor about it.

Now, here’s where this gets hilarious: At this point Carr is free agency bound. The Raiders are looking at the trade market, they’re moving on, and Las Vegas is hoping to find a partner to recoup some of the money on his contract and get some cap relief. Carr will find another team, but he can’t be traded yet. Contractually he’s still a member of the Raiders at the time of the Pro Bowl. So, if something were to happen at the Pro Bowl it would be the Raiders’ responsibility to pay Carr in 2023.

The hilarious part about this is that Carr is about to hit an enormous escalator. A huge one. His salary in 2022 was $17.4M and it was set to jump to $32.9M. It’s highly unlikely a team will either trade for that contract, or sign him to that amount of money.

So, it’s actually in Carr’s best interest to get hurt in the Pro Bowl. Nothing debilitating, we’re not monsters, but say he got a really bad case of turf toe, or a sprained ankle that lingered — gosh, what a shame. Carr would need to stay at home and collect $1.93M a week until he’s able to return to the field. It would be horrible if took a while for that toe to full recover and he’d have to miss an entire season, getting paid a full THIRTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS for doing absolutely nothing.

I’m not saying Derek Carr should fake an injury to get a huge bag from the Raiders, but I’m not, not saying it. IF he wanted to, say, not take the best care of himself and open himself up to getting hurt this weekend it would be tremendous content.

Who am I kidding? Do it for the memes, Derek. Get paaaaaaid for doing nothing.

Plus, a post-practice interview with Princeton WR Andrei Iosivas.

Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (pronounced Yoshi-vas) is no stranger to change— going 4,961 miles away from your home will definitely force you to change some things about your life. However, Iosivas was ready for that moment then, and is ready for the moment he has this week as he practices at the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

“It was always Stanford or the Ivy League,” Iosivas told reporters after Day One of Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, AL. “Coming out of high school, I always made sure I had a good GPA. I went to a Stanford camp and was offered a preferred walk-on scholarship, but then I toured the Ivy League and went to Princeton.”

The culture shock was huge in his first year, Iosivas said, but he knew he would adjust once he got to full speed.

And Iosivas at full speed is an amazing sight to see.

Iosivas doesn’t run, no—he glides. Stretching his legs out at 6’2 and striding past defenders, en route to 16 career touchdowns and 15.3 yards per catch for the Tigers, earning accolade after accolade, including First-team All-Ivy League. Iosivas is also a world class sprinter, setting the NCAA Indoor record in the 60 meter hurdles. When Iosivas goes pedal to the medal, he leaves DBs and opposing runners in the dust.

In Mobile, Iosivas aims to prove that he can hang with the bigger, more physical DBs from the Power Five level. “I think I did well today with the press coverage, but I have to focus a bit more on where my hands are and how low I am,” Iosivas said. “Coming from an Ivy League they always knock you for the competition, but I’m keeping up with it.”

Iosivas has blazed a trail already, from Honolulu, HI to Princeton, and now to Mobile. If he continues to practice well, he could zoom up draft boards come draft time.

Day One Practice Notes

National Team

• Ohio State OT Dawand Jones is MASSIVE. He measured in today at 6’8, 375 pounds with a 89 4/8 inch wingspan, he’s less right tackle and more double wide RV. He performed really well in pass pro 1-on-1’s, shutting down an Isaiah Foskey long arm rep and a DJ Johnson pass rush move with ease. I want to see him tested against true speed guys but he’s off to a roaring start.
• North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch is one of the more interesting guys in this Senior Bowl. He came to Fargo as a tight end, left as an offensive tackle, and is now playing guard in Mobile. He has shorter arms (measured in at 32 1/8 inches) and lighter at 305, put really handled strength well. He’s going to be a very interesting prospect for multiple teams.
• Troy C Jake Andrews had a really solid day of practice, and stood out a lot. He came in with a lot less hype than the other center, Michigan’s Olu Oluwatimi, but today Andrews more than held his own. He was able to anchor really well against power, and also looked nice in the run game. He’s a guy I definitely have to go back and watch on film.
• Bowling Green DT Karl Brooks was a MONSTER on Tuesday. At 6’3, 303 pounds, he played on the edge a lot for Bowling Green, but man he dominated inside all day. His burst and first step quickness was too much for most of the interior offensive linemen all day, and he was blowing up plays in both the run and passing game, If your team needs instant pass rush juice on the interior, Brooks is your guy.
• Despite losing the rep to Jones, I think Foskey had a pretty good day. He knows what his pass rush plan is (long arm to death), and when it hits, it looks like this:

Foskey also forced a fumble in team drills and was active for most of the day. I want to see him use more counters to that long arm move that he has, but an overall solid first day of work.

• Georgia Tech DL Keion White carries his weight really well. He measured in at 6’4, 280 pounds with a 33 inch wingspan, but you wouldn’t think he’s 280 with the way his weight is distributed. He’s very well built and made a lot of nice plays in team drills with his quickness and length.
• Boise State safety JL Skinner looks less like a safety and more like an NBA shooting guard. He came in at 6’4, 211 pounds with 32 4/8 inch arms and is extremely high waisted. I worry about his ability to cover in man situations, but he looked very comfortable as an overhang defender today and covering underneath zones. His best fit is probably somewhere that’ll let him buzz down into the box after the snap, or in a zone heavy scheme that’ll let him play underneath.
• Army EDGE Andre Carter received a lot of extra coaching today. Carter measured in today at 6’6 and 252 pounds, with a 34 inch wingspan, but he’s all arms and legs right now. His play strength was tested a lot today, and he got washed out in the run game and was beaten badly by Jones in pass rush reps today. He’s more of a project than ready-made contributor right now.
• Stanford WR Elijah Higgins might benefit more from a switch to tight end or H-back in the NFL. He doesn’t have the change of direction skills to be a receiver, and really struggled to drop his hips.

American Team

• Houston WR Tank Dell has got capital J JUICE. He has such amazing change of direction and stop-start skills and was able to beat almost everyone he faced in 1-on-1’s today. He’s small (measured in at 5’8, 163 pounds), but if you’re looking for a slot receiver with some explosiveness and ability to get open in any situation, Dell is one of my guys in this draft to keep an eye on.
• SMU WR Rashee Rice is a guy that I had my eye on coming in, but today he didn’t stand out too much. He was beating defenders, but then the ball would sail way over his head. Rice definitely showed the ability to make tough catches over the middle and the ability to be a big YAC guy at the NFL level. Think Brandon Aiyuk, physically (I’m not saying he’s going to be like Aiyuk, I’m saying the play styles are similar).
• The DBs for the American team are very physical. They’re unafraid to get in opposing WRs faces and jam them to cause problems. Kansas State DB Julius Brents was very impressive today, using his length to disrupt routes, yet not being overly grabby. He picked off a pass in 1-on-1’s today that was really nice to see. Miami DB Tyrique Stevenson also had a pretty good day. He got popped with a couple of holding flags, but physically tested receivers all day. The battles between he and WR Jonathan Mingo were fun.
• Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald IV intrigues me. In a EDGE class that’s lacking guys with true bend, McDonald showed some really nice movement skills today. He flashed an inside spin move in pass rush 1-on-1’s, was able to bend the corner, and even beat Tennessee RT Darnell Wright on the first rep of team drills today. He also flashed in 7 on 7, breaking up a pass and looking comfortable dropping into coverage. He’s a very slender 241, but I think there’s a role for him at the NFL level.
• Tulane RB Tyjae Spears has a nice second gear. He showed good burst today in practice (although there was no tackling today), and took a screen pass for a big gain. He’s got the ability to turn a 3 yard gain into a 30-yard one at any moment, and that’ll be valuable for an NFL franchise.
• Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is the head coach of the American team, and I think he did a great job of easing the minds of the players at the end of practice. The American team held a series of six 1-on-1s, 2 EDGE rushers vs left/right tackle, DT vs OG, RB vs LB, WR vs DB and TE vs Safety. Losing side had to do 15 push-ups. Defense won the day, but instilling that kind of competition lets the players play a bit more loose, and let’s them have more fun. That’s what we’re all here for right?

Day 1 Vibe Check

• Mobile is a beautiful city, but man the fog is TERRIFYING. Driving over a bridge thinking you’re heading into Narnia is a scary sight.
• South Alabama’s campus is nothing like a Group of Five campus I’ve been at. It’s spacious, but not way too spacious, the basketball gym is HUGE, and the football stadium is really nice. Props to them.
• The fog in the morning is deceptive, because the moment you think it’s chilly, you remember you’re in Alabama and the sun hits you with the force of 1,000 gods.
• Cook Out sweet tea is nectar from the gods.