The triple double is one of the most alluring statistical performance any NBA player can register in a game. So which stars top the all time list?
There’s no perfect statistical measure in basketball, but few are more referenced than the triple double.
Diehard basketball fans will be completely across what it is and how significant of a personal feat it is, but not necessarily everyone.
So, here’s a quick refresher — a triple double is an individual player recording ‘double’ figures (10-plus) in three different statistical categories, hence ‘triple’. The categories are points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals — so double figures in three of those categories constitutes a triple double.
Legendary hoops figures like Oscar Robertson, once considered ‘Mr. Triple Double’, and LeBron James are synonymous with the statistical milestone. And in the modern game, which does see higher-paced and higher scoring matches, Russell Westbrook has taken full advantage.
Here are the greatest exponents of the triple double in NBA history.
Most triple doubles in NBA history: The Top 10
For this list we are combining regular season and NBA playoffs games for each players’ total triple doubles tally.
10. Larry Bird – 69
‘Larry Legend’ was brilliant at controlling the entire game and it showed in his ability to register so many triple doubles, back when the game was much lower scoring.
In the back end of his final season in the league, Bird poured in his greatest triple double of his career scoring 49-points along with 14 rebounds and 12 assists.
9. Luka Doncic – 80*
The other player to join James Harden in the rarefied air of a 60-point triple double is none other than Luka Doncic, who poured in the feat along with 21 rebounds and 10 assists.
Again similarly to Harden, Doncic has registered 77 in the regular season and just three in the playoffs, but with more of his career ahead of him than behind him, we can expect this to change greatly.
8. James Harden – 80*
During James Harden’s prime at the Rockets, triple doubles seemed a common occurrence, registering 77 across all of his regular season games, and only three in the playoffs.
Harden is one of only two players ever to record a 60-point triple double, scoring exactly 60 along with 10 rebounds and 11 assists back in 2018, which at the time was the only one ever.
7. Wilt Chamberlain – 86
Isn’t it nice to see a statistic that Wilt Chamberlain isn’t at the top of the list for, with Wilt being one of the greatest players of all time — but not when it comes to the triple double.
In his incredible career, Chamberlain recorded two 50-point triple doubles that are just ridiculous — 53pts, 32 rebs, 14 asts and 51pts, 29 rebs, 11 asts.
6. Jason Kidd – 118
Everyone remembers how impactful across the board Jason Kidd was back in his day and it shows, being one of only six players in NBA history to have over 100 career triple doubles.
He had 107 regular season performances of the kind, and had 11 in the playoffs — only eight people have reached double figure triple doubles in the postseason.
5. LeBron James – 139*
When you need someone to deliver a huge performance, many instantly think to LeBron James, who has poured in triples doubles in some of the most important games of his career — Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals where he had 27/11/11.
James has the fifth most regular season triple doubles, but the second most in the postseason, ahead of third place (Russell Westbrook) by 16.
4. Nikola Jokic – 146*
In order to record triple doubles you need to have a wide skillset that honestly not a lot of people have, and Nikola Jokic is one of those who can do it all as a big man.
Jokic when its all said and done could most likely get as high as second all time considering he’s still in his prime and only 43 off Robertson — something he could achieve in around two seasons.
3. Magic Johnson – 168
According to Basketball Reference, the NBA did not properly track triple doubles until the 1979-80 season when Magic Johnson began popularising the statistical feat.
To this day Magic still holds the record for the most triple doubles in the playoffs with 30, just two ahead of LeBron James who could pass him in his final few years.
2. Oscar Robertson – 189
Oscar Robertson was at the top of the total triple double list for decades before Westbrook came along, and is rightfully seen as a pioneer in the statistical category.
He is one of only two players ever to register over 40 triple doubles in a season with 41 in 1961-62.
1. Russell Westbrook – 211*
Russell Westbrook was a part of NBA’s 75th anniversary team and you can almost entirely put that down to him being known as ‘Mr. Triple Double’, having surpassed Oscar Robertson for most triple doubles in the league’s history back in 2021.
Westbrook has four of the top 10 highest triple double seasons in NBA history, including three of the top four; 34 or more in a season. In these years, Westbrook averaged a triple double in those season, which he is the only player ever to do this multiple seasons.
