A triple-double in basketball is a performance during which a player accumulates double-digit figures in three of the five statistical categories – points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocked shots – in a game. While most triple-doubles are based on points, assists and rebounds, it isn’t easy to achieve it, irrespective of the categories being considered.
On May 10, 2021, Russell Westbrook scored the 182nd triple-double of his career, breaking a longstanding NBA record in the process.
Westbrook Wow!
On March 2, 2009, Westbrook scored the first triple-double of his NBA career with Oklahoma City Thunder. It was the only triple-double of his rookie season (first season in NBA). In fact, Westbrook had only eight triple doubles in his first six seasons from 2008-09 to 2013-14. There’s been no looking back ever since.
In 2016-17, Westbrook recorded 42 triple-doubles in a single season, the most in NBA history. He broke Oscar Robertson’s record of 41 that he had set in the 1961-62 season.
In 2019, Westbrook set the NBA record of 11 consecutive matches with triple-doubles. Westbrook, in fact, holds three of the top four longest such streaks in NBA history.
In the same game in which Westbrook set the overall triple-double record, he also joined another elite group. Along with LeBron James, Oscar Robertson and Gary Payton, Westbrook is now part of the group who are the only players in NBA history with 20,000-plus points and 8,000-plus assists.
Within months of each other, LeBron James (November 2019) and Westbrook (January 2020) became the only players in NBA history to have a triple-double against all 30 team. Westbrook, in fact, hasn’t just scored triple-doubles against all teams, but has actually done it on multiple occasions!
Picture Credit : Google
