Basketball

What is a Triple Double in Basketball?

What is a Triple Double in Basketball?

Triple Double 

In basketball, the term “triple double” refers to a player getting 3 stats that are in the double digits, in a single game. The most common form of this is points, assists, and rebounds, but there have been players in the past that accomplished a different variation. Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz tallied 12 points, 20 rebounds, and a whopping 14 blocks in a 1995 regular season game. Draymond Green also had an impressive performance for the Golden State Warriors, tallying 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. He only scored 4 points that game, making Green the only player in NBA History to record a triple double with single digit points. While unlikely, quadruple doubles are also present in basketball, although it’s must harder to achieve, as only 4 players have accomplished this difficult task. The most recent was in 1994 when David Robinson tallied 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks in a game against the Pistons. 


While single game triple doubles are impressive in itself, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook have managed to average 3 stats in the double digits in a season. They are the only two players in NBA history to achieve this feat, with Robertson accomplishing it once while Westbrook did it four times. Robertson and Westbrook have the most all time triple doubles, achieving 181 and 184, respectively. Only 2 other players have reached 100 triple doubles in their career, Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd. This goes to show how impressive Westbrook and Robertson careers are. Westbrook is looking to further separate himself in this stat from Robertson and the rest of the NBA as he begins his stint with the Lakers.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Triple-double NBA Leaders

Rank Name Pos Team(s) played for (years)[b] Total Games
played
Points
per game
[c]
Rebounds
per game
average[d]
Assists
per game
average[d]
1 Russell Westbrook^ PG Oklahoma City Thunder (20082019)
Houston Rockets (2019–2020)
Washington Wizards (2020–2021)
Los Angeles Lakers (20212023)
Los Angeles Clippers (2023–present)
198 1,138 21.9 7.2 8.2
2 Oscar Robertson* PG Cincinnati Royals (19601970)
Milwaukee Bucks (19701974)
181 1,040 25.7 7.5 9.5
3 Magic Johnson* PG Los Angeles Lakers (19791991, 1996) 138 906 19.5 7.2 11.2
4 Nikola Jokić^ C Denver Nuggets (2015–present) 118 642 20.7 10.6 6.8
5 LeBron James^ SF Cleveland Cavaliers (20032010, 20142018)
Miami Heat (20102014)
Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)
110 1,463 27.1 7.5 7.3
6 Jason Kidd* PG Dallas Mavericks (19941996, 20082012)
Phoenix Suns (19962001)
New Jersey Nets (20012008)
New York Knicks (2012–2013)
107 1,391 12.6 6.3 8.7
7 Wilt Chamberlain* C Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (19591965)
Philadelphia 76ers (19651968)
Los Angeles Lakers (19681973)
78 1,045 30.1 22.9 4.4
8 James Harden^ SG/PG Oklahoma City Thunder (20092012)
Houston Rockets (20122021)
Brooklyn Nets (20212022)
Philadelphia 76ers (20222023)
Los Angeles Clippers (2023–present)
75 1,039 24.4 5.6 7.1
9 Luka Dončić^ PG Dallas Mavericks (2018–present) 65 369 28.3 8.6 8.1
10 Larry Bird* SF/PF Boston Celtics (19791992) 59 897 24.3 10.0 6.3