One of the most impressive individual achievements in basketball, a triple double puts a player’s entire skill set on full display. While every player in the NBA is immensely talented, there’s no denying that individuals who rack up triple doubles have a special gear.
Maybe that’s why five of the top 10 players are all enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. And the other five are virtual locks.
Here, we’ll break down the players who have the most triple doubles in NBA history.
Who holds the record for the most triple doubles in NBA history?
Russell Westbrook leads the way with 199 career triple doubles. Westbrook was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008 and has played for six franchises in his career (Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets).
Westbrook dropped 14 with the Lakers, 38 with the Wizards, eight with the Rockets and 139 with the Thunder.
In fact, Westbrook is the only player in NBA history to average a triple double in four different seasons.
Full list of players with the most triple doubles in NBA history
* denotes player is still active
- Westbrook* (199)
- Oscar Robertson (181)
- Magic Johnson (138)
- Nikola Jokić* (130)
- LeBron James* (112)
- Jason Kidd (107)
- Wilt Chamberlain (78)
- Luka Doncic* (77)
- James Harden* (77)
- Larry Bird (59)
Oscar Robertson: The original triple double record holder
Robertson was the first player to average a triple double for a season, doing so in the 1961–62 campaign (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists).
“The Big O” changed the way people viewed guards, establishing that backcourt players could be rebounders. Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 1971, averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 assists and five rebounds per game.
His 181 career triple doubles stood as a record for 47 years. Robertson’s court vision and versatility made him one of the best players in NBA history.
Magic Johnson: The triple double leader of the Showtime era
Johnson’s size, vision and athleticism revolutionized the point guard position and made him a dominant player for the Lakers. The face of the “Showtime” squads of the 1980s, Johnson always played at an elite level.
However, Magic always found another gear in the postseason.
He’s the all-time leader in playoff triple doubles with 30 and second in NBA Finals triple doubles with eight.
Johnson led the Lakers to five championships and won three MVP awards.
The most triple doubles in a single NBA season
The current record for triple doubles in a single season is 42, set by Westbrook during the 2016–17 season. Robertson posted 41 in the 1961–62 campaign. Westbrook owns both the third and fourth place spots as well, with 38 in 2020–21 and 34 in 2018–19.
Wilt Chamberlain’s 31 triple doubles in 1967–68 is the fifth-most in a season.
Westbrook, Robertson and Jokić are the only players with 20+ triple doubles in multiple seasons.
Unique triple doubles in NBA history
Traditionally, triple doubles are done by tallying 10+ points, rebounds and assists. More often than not it requires the bulk of a game to accomplish the feat, too. But there have been plenty of times when a player has done something out of the ordinary.
Chamberlain’s 20-20-20 game: On Feb. 2, 1968, Chamberlain played 48 minutes and scored 22 points, grabbed 25 rebounds and dished out 21 assists. It was the first time in NBA history a player put up a 20-20-20 game and it remained the only instance for 51 years until …
Westbrook’s 20-20-20 game: Westbrook led the Thunder to a win over the Lakers on April 2, 2019, finishing with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists. Westbrook played 37 minutes and dedicated the win to the late Nipsey Hustle.
Draymond Green’s historic triple double: Green scored just four points on Feb. 10, 2017, but he filled up the stat sheet in other ways. The Golden State Warriors forward amassed 12 rebounds, 10 assists and a franchise-record 10 steals to record the NBA’s first triple double without the points. Green also became the only player in history to post 10 steals and five blocks in a single game.
Jokić’s Quick triple double: On Feb. 16, 2018, it took “The Joker” just 14 minutes and 33 seconds to complete a triple double. He finished the game with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists. Jokić broke the previous record of 17 minutes, set by Jim Tucker of the Syracuse Nationals.
Karl Malone’s old-age triple double: Malone is the oldest player to post a triple double, doing so at 40 years and 127 days old. On Nov. 28, 2003, Malone and the Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs thanks to his 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Has the Most Triple Doubles in NBA History?.
