Who Holds The Most Triple Doubles In Nba History?
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Who holds the most triple doubles in NBA history? It’s a question that has been debated for years. Some say it’s Oscar Robertson, others say Russell Westbrook.
We took a look at the numbers to see who really holds the record.
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. Robertson is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Triple-doubles in a season
In the 1961–62 season, Robertson became the first and only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He remains the only player to average a triple-double for an entire season. In that historic season, he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game, and is the only player ever to average more than 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists per game in a single season. He is also the only player in NBA history to have more than 200 assists in a season ( he had 922).
Triple-doubles in a career
Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He did it in 1961-62, averaging 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game. He also holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a season, with 41.
Robertson is one of only four players to have more than one 50-point triple-double in their career. The other three are Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook.
In his career, Robertson had 181 triple-doubles, which is the most in NBA history. Westbrook is second with 138, and Chamberlain is third with 117.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson holds the record for the most triple doubles in NBA history. A triple double is when a player gets 10 or more points, rebounds, and assists in a game. Magic Johnson was a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered one of the best players of all time. He was a 12-time All-Star and won 5 NBA championships.
Triple-doubles in a season
In the 1981–82 season, Johnson became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961–62 to average at least 20 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds per game over the course of a season. He also joined Robertson as the only players to average double figures in assists per game for their career. That season, Johnson led the league in assists per game (11.4), steals per game (2.7), and minuted played per game (40.5). He also led the Lakers to a then-franchise best 62–20 record. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced off against a talented 76ers team that had gone 59–23 in the regular season and featured Julius Erving and Moses Malone. The Sixers took Game 1 by 21 points, but Johnson’s 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists helped even the series with a 112–104 Lakers win in Game 2. The teams traded wins back and forth from there until they were tied 3–3 going into Game 7; it was here that Johnson had another stellar performance with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists as his Lakers won 120–104 to clinch their first NBA Finals berth since 1969 against Philadelphia.
Triple-doubles in a career
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a triple-double is defined as the achievement of a positive statistic in three different categories in a game. The most common way to achieve a triple-double is through points, rebounds, and assists. Johnson holds the all-time record for the most triple-doubles in an NBA career with 138, and is one of only four players to average a triple-double for their careers. The other three players are Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is an incredible NBA player who has achieved a lot in his career. He is a nine-time All-Star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He is also the holder of the most triple doubles in NBA history.
Triple-doubles in a season
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a triple-double is defined as the achievement of a positive statistical feat in three of the five standard statistical categories in a game. The most common way to achieve a triple-double is through points, rebounds, and assists. The term “triple-double” typically refers to when a player accumulates a double-digit total in three of the five categories in one game. Westbrook holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a season with 42, accomplished in 2016–17. He is also one of only seven players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
Triple-doubles in a career
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a triple-double is defined as the act of achieving a double-digit number total in three of the five main statistical categories in a game. The most common way to achieve a triple-double is through points, rebounds, and assists.[1] Since the assist became a stat during the 1950–51 season, only four players have averaged a triple-double for an NBA season: Oscar Robertson (1961–62), Russell Westbrook (2016–17 and 2017–18), LeBron James (2017–18) and Nikola Jokić (2020–21). Westbrook is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 182. Robertson also holds many of the all-time triple-double records, including those for career triple-doubles (181) and season triples doubles (41 in 1961–62).[2][3][4] Robertson’s 41 triple-doubles en route to his 1961–62 campaign stands as an unbreakable single season record.[5]
In addition to their regular season accomplishments, all four players have achieved multiple triple-doubles in the playoffs. Westbrook holds the record for most playoff triple-doubles with 21. Robertson is second with nine playoff triples matches, followed by James with eight and Jokić with five. Of the four only James has not won an MVP award; however, he has been voted NBA Finals MVP on four separate occasions. These accomplishments have made each player one of only six in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season and have led many basketball analysts to deem them as some of the best all-rounders ever to play in the NBA.
