Russell Westbrook owns just about every meaningful record relating to triple-doubles in NBA history. In 2021, he broke Oscar Robertson's career record of 181. He was the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double over the course of a full season, and he's done so four times. During his MVP 2016-17 season, he set a new record by recording 42 triple-doubles in a single year.
Where triple-doubles are concerned, Westbrook more or less has written the record book. It's fitting, then, that he would become the first player in NBA history to record 200 of them in a career.
He did so on Tuesday, racking up 12 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in a Denver Nuggets 122-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Afterward, Westbrook imitated Wilt Chamberlain's famous photograph after his 100-point game with a sheet of paper showing the number "200."
History made pic.twitter.com/0BUWc5k53F
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 20, 2024
A few years ago, it looked like 195 might have been off of the table for Westbrook as he aged into the twilight of his NBA career. He had 190 of them when the Los Angeles Lakers moved him to the bench for the 2022-23 season, and his playing time and on-ball opportunities declined from there. He recorded only one triple-double in his entire tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, and prior to Tuesday, he hadn't yet earned one as a Nugget. However, with Nikola Jokic out for personal reasons, Westbrook had the opportunity to both play and posses the ball enough to get the elusive No. 200.
Jokic's absence helping Westbrook reach No. 200 feels appropriate since he is the active player that is by far the likeliest to potentially break Westbrook's record. Jokic, who is 29, has 136 triple-doubles for his career and is currently primed to average a triple-double for the 2024-25 season with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists.
Jokic may one day make a run at the record, but it currently belongs to Westbrook, and the sheer volume he's accumulated will be remarkable whether or not the record stands for the long haul.
Only six players in history have reached even 100 triple-doubles: Westbrook, Jokic, Robertson, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Jason Kidd. Legends like Michael Jordan (28), Kobe Bryant (21) and Stephen Curry (10) haven't even come close to Westbrook's total. It takes a rare versatility to hit double-digits in three statistical categories in a single game, and Westbrook has proven he's had it 200 times now.
