Jan. 16, 2026Updated Jan. 17, 2026, 12:33 a.m. ET

INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers veteran point guard T.J. McConnell recorded two first-quarter assists in Indiana’s game against the Pelicans on Friday night to become the second player in NBA history to record 3,000 assists off the bench.

McConnell also has 687 assists as a starter. The only other player who has cracked 3,000 off the bench is Lou Williams, who played 17 years in the league from 2005-22 and recorded 3,262 assists off the bench and another 527 as a starter. He was a three-time Sixth Man of the Year Award winner. McConnell finished Friday night’s game with nine assists as the Pacers beat the Pelicans 127-119.

The 33-year-old McConnell entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and spent his rookie season with a Philadelphia 76ers team that went 10-72, clearly expecting to turn over much of it’s roster. He carved out a role in Philadelphia that allowed him to stick as the 76ers evolved into a playoff team and then left for Indiana in 2019 and established himself as one of the best backup point guards in the NBA. He’s averaging 7.7 points and 5.0 assists per game in his career and is having one of his best offensive seasons this year, averaging 10.0 points and 4.9 assists per game heading into Friday night’s action.

“I’m just very grateful, very blessed to be in this position,” McConnell said. “To be in Year 11, and Lou Williams is, when you think about guys who came off the bench, him and Jamal Crawford and Manu Ginobili are the guys you really think about. To even be mentioned with people like that, it’s an honor.”

Williams averaged 3.4 assists per game for his career and McConnell’s 5.0 assists gives him a great chance to pass him. If he averages 5.0 assists per game, he’d need 51 games to match Williams which would give him a chance to get by him early next year. McConnell finished with at least 350 total assists in each of the last three completed regular seasons and though he missed time early in the season with a hamstring injury he’s on pace to clear 300 again this year.

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“This is a guy that was undrafted, so this is an amazing accomplishment,” Carlisle said. “… T.J. is behind (Williams) by a couple hundred assists, but I wouldn’t bet against him. I would never bet against T.J. McConnell on anything.”

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.