James Harden passes Tony Parker for 19th on NBA's all-time assists list: Will 'The Beard' break into top 10?

One-time NBA MVP James Harden moved up on the all-time assists ladder during the Los Angeles Clippers’ home NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Houston Rockets on Friday night. He surpassed Hall-of-Famer Tony Parker at 19th place.

"The Beard" achieved the feat midway into the first quarter against the Rockets when he dished out a dime to Paul George, who hit a triple from the elbow.

It was assist No. 7,037 for the 10-time NBA All-Star, breaking the tie he had with San Antonio Spurs legend Parker at 7,036 heading into the contest.

Next for him to possibly surpass on the list this season are those of No. 18 Tim Hardaway (7,095), No. 17 Terry Porter (7,160), No. 16 Lenny Wilkens (7,211), No. 15 Maurice Cheeks (7,392) and No. 14 Rajon Rondo (7,584).

A possible target for 34-year-old Harden moving forward is cracking the top 10 on the all-time list, which at this point is possible but it all depends on his commitment to playing.

His desire to play at a high level has been in the spotlight of late, following his tumultuous breakup with the Philadelphia 76ers and iffy start with the Clippers.

In his first five games with the Clippers, James Harden has been good for 4.2 assists to go along with 15 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 32 minutes of play.

Detroit Pistons legend and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas is currently at No. 10 on the all-time NBA assist list with 9,061. John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091) and Chris Paul (11,593) occupy the top three.

James Harden believes move to Clippers will work

While the Los Angeles Clippers have struggled since he made his debut with the team, James Harden still believes that the move to get him would work in the long run.

The 34-year-old Arizona State product has five games down with the Clippers, which unfortunately all ended in losses. He has been producing 15 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 32 minutes of play while playing with fellow All-Stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, James Harden said he had a good feeling that things would work with his new team, provided that the coaching staff trusted him enough to let him play the way he knew how to, something he said was not the case with his previous team, the Philadelphia 76ers:

“I’m just not a system player; I am a system. You know what I mean?” Harden said.

“So somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that’s all I really care about. It’s not about me scoring.”

With James Harden in tow, the Clippers are hoping to finally end their long wait for a first-ever NBA title.