The Game Where Scott Skiles Set An NBA Record With 30 Assists In 1990

The NBA has seen many records throughout its history. Many records are deemed “unbreakable” by experts and fans alike.

This includes many Wilt Chamberlain records, like his 100 points in one game and his 55 rebounds in a game.

Another record that many people don't know, and especially they don't realize who holds the record is the record for most assists in a game.

Scott Skiles Ends Up A Member Of The Orlando Magic

Scott Skiles is not a known name to most people, even basketball fans. But he should be, even if it's just for a single game.

By 1990, Skiles was on the Orlando Magic thanks to the expansion draft that occurred in the offseason before the 1989-90 NBA.

Skiles had played three years before being selected to the Magic. He played one season with the Milwaukee Bucks and two with the Indiana Pacers.

He didn't see much playing time during his first three years in the league, but his time in Orlando would be different.

By his second year as a member of the Orlando Magic, Skiles found himself starting more than double (66 games) of the games as he did in his first season (32 games) with the Magic.

Skiles' play was so good during his second year in Orlando that he won the 1990-91 Most Improved Player Award.

The 1990-91 season would be the best year of his entire career, and one game, in particular, will put his name in the record book for over 30 years and still counting.

Scott Skiles Sets The Single Game Assists Record With 30

As a winner of The Most Improved Player Award, you have to play at a much higher level than you played the season before.

This is what Skiles did. You usually also have to have a few dominant games compared to how you played previously, and this is also what Skiles had done.

The game occurred on December 30, 1990, the Magic faced off against the Denver Nuggets. The game was played in Orlando and at the time, not too many people were interested.

The Magic came into the game with a dismal 6-23 record on the season. Their opponent, the Nuggets, weren't much better with a 6-22 record.

So, fans expected a sloppy game where two bad teams would most likely both struggle. Well, for fans in attendance, they got to witness history.

The Orlando Magic were led by their seemingly unknown point guard, Scott Skiles, as he ran the offensive beautifully in the game.

Skiles made the correct pass on every possession, or at least it seemed. His teammates who didn't play well all year finally started to play as if they were All-Stars.

“Sometimes this game is pretty simple,” Skiles would later say. “You shoot when you’re open and you pass when you’re covered.”

That's exactly what he did. Skiles scored 22 points on 7-13 shooting, 2-3 from three-point land, and 6-7 from the free-throw line.

But these stats weren't anything special, what's history-making is from the number of dimes Skiles collected.