Russell Westbrook defeated the Atlanta Hawks for his 100th birthday. Triple-double career. However, he is not the first player to cross this magic line. Here’s an overview of players like Larry Bird and LeBron James, who made the most triple doubles in NBA history.
In the NBA, at the end of a match, some players managed to achieve a two-digit score in three statistic categories at the same time. Some of them became famous for their diversity and played themselves into the history books of the NBA.
As mentioned above, the aim is to achieve a double-digit yield in three statistic categories in one game. The most common way is through points, rebounds and assists (example: 22 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists). It is also possible to “fill up” a triple double with blocks or steals.
A look at the ten players with the most triple doubles in NBA history shows that there are more players from earlier years than active players.
The first in the top 10 is Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics. The Point Guard earned his living in the 1950s and ended his active career in 1963, earning 33 triple doubles.
The first active player on the list is James Harden of the Houston Rockets. In 2013, The Beard won the first triple double of his career against Charlotte with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. His triple double remains unforgettable at the end of January 2018, when Harden played 60 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Point Guard played in the NBA between the 1980s and 1990s for Portland, Denver and Dallas. He achieved 43 triple doubles.
The next in line is Larry Legend. In his Boston Celtics, the Hall of Famer won the triple double 59 times. Bird doesn’t get as many points as Harden does. But once it was enough for only 49 points next to 14 boards and 12 templates.
The King himself is currently in sixth place of the triple double machines. Thereby, 43 points were the highest yield of James in a triple double.
The Big Dipper is still standing in front of the king when it comes to TDs. However, a look at Chamberlain’s stats shows that he managed not only ten rebounds, but at least 20 boards. Against the Lakers in 1968 there were 53 points, 32 rebounds and 14 assists for Wilt on the blackboard.
Westbrook is nowadays in the NBA as THE triple-double monster. No other player has recorded more TDs than Russ in recent years. His legendary game against Denver Nuggets with 50 points, 16 rebounds and ten assists, including a game winner, remains unforgettable to this day. And: Besides Oscar Robertson, Russ is the only player to have an average triple double in one season (2016/17:31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists).
Last place in the top three is taken by Jason Kidd. The Point Guard was one of the best guards of the league in his time and got one triple double after the other. He also scored 38 points at two of his gala performances – one in the jersey of the New Jersey Nets and one for the Mavericks. The Nets also had 14 rebounds and assists on their cards.
The Lakers star from the 1980s could hardly be stopped in his day. The “normal” TDs were no longer enough for him, Magic even managed to beat Denver in 1981 in three categories to over 15 points.
Of course Mr. Triple-double even took first place in the eternal list. At his time, the Guard was regarded as one of the most complete players in the league, with an average of over 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists per game over the first five years of his career. In addition, he scored over 40 points in his TDs eleven times – his record is 48 points.