So far in the 2021 NBA playoffs, who has the most triple-doubles? Russell Westbrook holds the record for the most triple-doubles. He has three so far this postseason. LeBron James is second with 10 total triple-doubles in the playoffs over both of his career stints.
James also leads all players in playoff games with at least one triple-double (18). Kevin Durant is second with 16 appearances.
Westbrook and James are the only players with multiple triple-doubles this season. No other player has more than one. In fact, no other player has even come close to doing it twice. It looks like the award will stay local with Los Angeles teams leading the way with four triple-doubles each. The Clippers' Doc Rivers and the Lakers' Luke Walton are the two coaches to have done it multiple times this season.
It's safe to say that nobody expected Russell Westbrook to break the record for most triple-doubles in a single season. However, with his third triple-double this postseason, he is now tied with Magic Johnson for the most in a single year. It's also interesting to note that every triple-double this season has been achieved in the first round of the playoffs.
As of July 2021, 99 players hold the most triple doubles in NBA history.
| Characteristic | Number of triple doubles |
|---|---|
| Oscar Robertson | 181 |
| Magic Johnson | 138 |
| Jason Kidd | 107 |
| LeBron James | 99 |
From 2016-17 through 2018-19, the NBA recorded 352 triple-doubles, an average of 117.33 triple-doubles each season. Russell Westbrook has 101 triple-doubles in those three years, accounting for 28.69 percent of all triple-doubles in those time period. He's the most prolific triple-double artist in NBA history.
Westbrook set a new record this year with his 100th career triple-double on April 16 against the New Orleans Pelicans. The last player to reach the 100-triple double milestone was Michael Jordan who did it with 104 triple-doubles in 1995-96.
It's been quite the run for Russ. In addition to being the first player to 100 career triple-doubles, he is also one of only six players to score 40 or more points in at least one triple-double game (Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul). The other five players are Moses Malone, Scottie Pippen, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Walton and Jerry West.
As great as Russ is on the court, he's even better off it. He leads the league in total triple-doubles (101) and per game (27.69) while playing nearly 35 minutes a game. No other player has more than 70 triple-doubles in any given season.
Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards became the uncontested king of the triple double in May 2021. In a 125-124 defeat against the Atlanta Hawks, he set a new record with his 182nd triple double. The previous record was held by Magic Johnson with 181 triple doubles during the 1980s.
Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first championship in 2016 before moving to Washington that same year. He averaged 35.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game over six seasons with the two teams.
He announced his retirement on Twitter on November 1, 2018. However, he returned to the court one month later after a severe knee injury suffered by Paul George forced him out for the rest of the season.
Westbrook came back stronger than ever before and had another tremendous season in 2019-2020, averaging 36.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game. He won his third consecutive MVP award and helped the Wizards reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in team history.
He will be 40 years old when the 2020-2021 season starts and will be too old to play at the high level required to continue breaking records.
With 26 triple-doubles in 1960-1961, Oscar Robertson holds the record for the most triple-doubles by a rookie.
| NAME | SEASON | MIN |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Simmons | 2017-18 | 2,732 |
| Luka Doncic | 2018-19 | 2,318 |
| Magic Johnson | 1979-80 | 2,795 |
| Alvan Adams | 1975-76 | 2,656 |
Russell Westbrook set a league record with 42 triple-doubles last season on way to winning the season MVP. However, throughout the league's 71-year existence, only four quadruple-doubles have been recorded, all by four different players. The first three occurred in 1973—all within a six-week span - and all involved Moses Malone of the Houston Rockets.
The first double-double quadruple was accomplished by Malone and records show that he finished with 14 rebounds and 10 points along with two steals and two blocks. The next day, Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers joined him with a double-double quadruple. He too had 14 rebounds and 10 points along with two steals and two blocks. The final quadruple came from an unlikely source: former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Kendall Gill of the Seattle SuperSonics who had seven assists and nine turnovers in just 16 minutes of play.
Malone is still the only player to finish with a triple-double, rebound double-digit games played with nine and blocks with two.
Currently, there are five players who have multiple triple-doubles this season. Russell Westbrook has six and is the leader among active players. Other than him, James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, and John Wall of the Washington Wizards each have multiple triple-doubles this year.
Russell Westbrook is now the Wizards' all-time triple-double leader. It took 38 games to complete. His teammates were ecstatic. Rui Hachimira's reaction to Russell Westbrook's historic night: "Wow! What a player, what a guy, what a champion!"
Westbrook finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123-112 win over the New York Knicks on Friday.
He became only the third player in NBA history to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. The other two are Michael Jordan and John Wall.
Westbrook joined Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with at least three consecutive seasons of at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He's also one of four players who have done it in consecutive years (the others are Jordan, Moses Malone and Robert Parish).
Westbrook has 11 triple doubles this season. That's one more than Michael Jordan had in his first season with the Wizards in 1995-96.
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