Watch Purdue's Braden Smith Become CBB Assist King, Break Duke Legend Bobby Hurley's All-Time Record

Purdue guard Braden Smith made history on Friday.

Smith recorded his 1,077th career assist in the first half of the Boilermakers' March Madness clash with Queens University, becoming the NCAA's new all-time assist leader.

He broke the previous record of 1,076 assists that was held by former Duke standout Bobby Hurley, who recorded the accomplishment in 1993.

As for Smith, he entered Friday's action ranking No. 2 in the country with an average of 9.1 assists per game. He previously led the Big Ten in assists during each of the past two years.

Smith's latest milestone coincided with State Farm announcing an NIL agreement with him, as he'll appear in upcoming marketing initiatives, digital campaigns and social media content for the insurance company throughout the rest of his college career.

While Smith was a consensus first-team All-American during his 2024-25 campaign, he revealed that chasing the record factored into his decision to return for his senior season.

"That's one of the reasons I came back, was to win and to get the record," Smith told USA Today's Jordan Mendoza. "Obviously, wanted to do it at a place that I've been for the three years prior. For me, just to be around a great bunch of guys and obviously great coaching staff, and do it with them, I think it makes it more special."

Smith has served as a starter throughout each of his four years at Purdue, helping the team capture two Big Ten tournament titles and advance to the 2024 NCAA tournament national championship game.

He's also made his presence felt as a top scoring option for the Boilermakers this season, averaging 14.0 points per game on 44.6/36.5/81.7 shooting splits.

As Purdue begins its March Madness run, Smith's tournament appearance has already been a memorable one.