Who Is The NBA All Time Leader In Triple Doubles?
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Did you know that the NBA all-time leader in triple doubles is Oscar Robertson? The “Big O” averaged a triple double for an entire season in 1961-1962, and finished his career with 181 triple doubles.
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was the NBA’s first true superstar. A 6-foot-5 guard from the University of Cincinnati, Robertson was the total package on the court. He could score, rebound, and pass with the best of them. Robertson was so good, in fact, that he was the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
College and Professional Career
Oscar Robertson was born in Indiana in 1938. He played collegiately at the University of Cincinnati and was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in 1960. He was an immediate success, averaging 30.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game en route to being named Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in his first season.
Over the next decade, Robertson would cement his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He averaged a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62, a feat that has only been matched once since (by Russell Westbrook in 2016-17). He would go on to win an MVP award in 1964 and be named to 12 straight All-Star teams from 1961 to 1972. In 1970-71, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA title, averaging 19 points, 8.3 assists and 7 rebounds per game in the Finals.
He retired following the 1973-74 season with 21,813 career points (sixth all time), 9887 career assists (third all time) and 7694 career rebounds (17th all time). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and his No. 14 jersey was retired by both the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks.
Stats
Oscar Robertson is the NBA’s all-time triple-double leader. The “Big O” recorded 181 triple-doubles over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned from 1960 to 1974. He averaged a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62, averaging 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game.
Robertson is followed on the all-time list by Magic Johnson (138), Russell Westbrook (114), LeBron James (99), and Larry Bird (59).
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is the NBA all time leader in triple doubles. He is a retired professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
College and Professional Career
Johnson was drafted first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and he was on the team that won four more championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, and 1987. Johnson’s career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team selections. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA’s all-time leaderin average assists per game, at 11.2. He was a member of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Dream Team”), which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. After leaving the Lakers in 1991, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars and played exhibition games with them from 1992 to 1995. In 1996, Johnson was diagnosed with HIV, but he continued to play as a player-coach for the Lakers until his retirement in 1996. Since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex practices. He also founded the Magic Johnson Foundation to assist AIDS prevention efforts among inner-city youth.
Stats
As of the end of the 2019-2020 NBA season, the player with the most triple-doubles in NBA history is Magic Johnson. He’s racked up 138 of them over the course of his career.
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook currently leads the NBA in triple doubles for the 2017-2018 season. He is also the reigning MVP and has been named to the All Star team eight times.
College and Professional Career
Westbrook played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then relocated to Oklahoma City six days later. He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned Most Valuable Player honors for the 2016–17 season. Westbrook has led the league in scoring three times and rebounding twice. He ranks third all-time in assists per game (9.2) and is one of four players to average a triple-double for a season. Westbrook also holds several NBA records, including most career triple-doubles (159), most triple-doubles in a season (42) and most points in a triple-double (57). He is also one of ten players Triple Crown, as he ranks first in points, rebounds and assists per game since his rookie season.
Westbrook played his first three seasons in Oklahoma City under head coach Scott Brooks. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2009 and earned unanimous Rookie of the Year honors in 2010 after averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. His career average of 8.2 assists per game through his first five seasons ranks seventh all time among eligible players for that span, behind only Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Chris Paul, Oscar Robertson, Mark Jackson and Steve Nash. In 2012–13, Westbrook helped lead Oklahoma City to their best record since moving to Oklahoma City (60–22), winning his first division title as well as being named an All-Star starter for the second consecutive year while also earning All-NBA Second Team honors after averaging 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.77 steals per game during the season; he became only one of five players ever to average those numbers over a season along with Michael Jordan, Nate Archibald, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.[1][2] He was named Most Valuable Player of that year’s NBA All-Star Game after recording 23 points on 10/14 shooting, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.[3]
Stats
Westbrook currently ranks first all-time in triple-doubles with 138, passing Oscar Robertson (181) on the all-time list during the 2019-20 season. He is also the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, doing so twice (2016-17 and 2017-18).
LeBron James
LeBron James is the NBA all time leader in triple doubles. He has a total of eight triple doubles in his career. LeBron is a versatile player who can play multiple positions. He is a great rebounder and passer. Triple doubles are when a player gets double digits in three of the five main statistical categories. These categories are points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
College and Professional Career
LeBron James began his college career playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. He was widely considered to be the best high school basketball player in the country and was named Ohio’s “Mr. Basketball” three times. In 2003, he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the NBA Draft.
James quickly became one of the best players in the league, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2003-04. He helped lead the Cavaliers to their first ever NBA Finals appearance in 2007, but they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The following year, James won his first MVP Award and led the Cavaliers back to the Finals, but they were once again defeated by the Spurs.
In 2010, James decided to leave Cleveland as a free agent and join forces with All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. The move paid off immediately as James won his first NBA championship in 2012, defeating Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. He was named Finals MVP for his performance. James would go on to win two more championships with the Heat in 2012-13 and 2013-14, winning Finals MVP both times.
In 2014, James made his long-awaited return to Cleveland, where he helped lead the Cavaliers to their first ever NBA championship in 2016. He was once again named Finals MVP after averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists per game against the Golden State Warriors. With that victory, James became only the third player in NBA history to win championships with two different teams (the other two are John Salley and Robert Horry).
Stats
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has appeared in seventeen NBA All-Star Games (thirteen times as a starter), was selected as the All-Star MVP in 2006 and 2008, and won four NBA championships (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020). He has also been voted onto fourteen All-NBA first teams, eleven All-Defensive first teams, and five All-Star Game MVP teams.
Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd is the NBA all time leader in triple doubles. He is a ten-time NBA All-Star, and a five-time All-NBA First Teamer. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2000, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
College and Professional Career
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-NBA First Team member. He won an NBA Championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, and was later named one of the top point guards of all time by ESPN in 2012. His biography at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame website claims that Kidd “is considered one of the greatest point guards of all time”.
Kidd played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was selected second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA draft. In his first season, he was an All-Rookie First Team member as he went on to win Rookie of the Year that same year. Then, in 1996 he helped lead his team to their first winning season and playoff appearance in franchise history. He continued to play at an All-Star level throughout his career, but it wasn’t until after being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2001 that Kidd truly began to shine.
In 2001–02, Kidd averaged a career-high 16.9 points per game along with 7.3 assists per game which earned him his only scoring title; he also led the NBA in total steals that same season. That year Kidd was voted as startng point guard for both the Eastern Conference All-Star team as well as being named co-MVP with Shaquille O’Neal. In January 2004, Kidd was traded back to Dallas where he helped lead them to their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1988; however, they were ultimately swept by Shaquille O’Neal’s Miami Heat team. Despite this disappointing ending to what had otherwise been a great season individually for Kidd, he still managed to average 19 points per game along with 9 assists per game during those Finals. The following year saw more success for Kidd and Dallas as they went on to defeat O’Neal’s Heat team in six games during their rematch in the 2006 NBA Finals en route to winning their first ever NBA Championship. After losing in the first round of playoffs during both 2007 and 2008, Kidd was traded back to New Jersey where he would finish out his playing career before eventually retiring in 2013
Stats
In his prime, Jason Kidd was one of the best point guards in the NBA. He was a ten-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA selection, and a five-time All-Defensive team member. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2000 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
But what Kidd is most remembered for is his ability to stuff the stat sheet. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 107, and he’s third on the league’s all-time assists list with 12,091. He’s also one of just six players in NBA history to average at least 10 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds per game for their career.
Kidd’s triple-double totals are even more impressive when you consider that he did it in just 1,391 games. That means he averaged a triple-double once every 13 games, which is incredible. In fact, his career triple-double average is better than any other player in NBA history who isn’t named Oscar Robertson.
