Russell Westbrook’s triple-doubles put him in class with Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson

Through the first four seasons of his NBA career, Russell Westbrook accumulated eight triple-doubles. He scored, rebounded and created assists, but there was no overt sign he would develop into the triple-double king.

That slowly began to change in 2014-15 when he recorded 11 triple-doubles, then 18 the following season. By 2016-17, he was a triple-double machine, setting a single-season record with 42 in 2016-17, the first season he averaged a triple-double, earning him an MVP award.

He continues to ring up triple-doubles, and on Saturday night, he tied Oscar Robertson’s all-time record of 181 career triple-doubles. 

“I don’t think about it,” Westbrook said of triple-double records. “I just go out and have fun and hoop. At the end of the day, when my journey is done and I’m done playing basketball, I can think of some of the crazy stat lines – the good, the bad, the ugly – and be thankful. I’m thankful for it all.”

Westbrook is one of the most scrutinized and under-appreciated All-Stars. In the NBA’s Age of Efficiency, Westbrook’s game – sometimes filled with bad shots and turnovers – doesn’t fit neatly into a model. 

He plays hard, produces, and, throughout his career, he wins way more often than he loses. A look at his mastery of the triple-double in his NBA career:

Westbrook already holds the NBA record for most consecutive games with a triple-double, which he broke in 2019 with an 11-game run from Jan. 22 to Feb. 14.

After an uneven season with just eight triple-doubles with Houston in 2019-20, the Wizards star rejuvenated his high-energy impact — 35 triple-doubles this season — under Coach Scott Brooks who coached Westbrook in Oklahoma City and may be his staunchest supporter in a sea of unsatisfied critics.

Maybe not surprisingly Westbrook toppled so many milestones in the past five years while he’s averaged a triple-double in four of the last five seasons. 

“He’s amazing,” Brooks said after a recent 21-rebound, 24-assist triple-double. “Everybody’s described him in so many different ways. I’ve been fortunate enough to see him (as his coach) for eight years and do a lot of things that are pretty much superhuman at times. Point guards don’t do what he does. They’re not built that way. mldr; There’s nobody in the history of the game that can do what he does throughout the stat sheet.”

Consider some of Westbrook’s single-game, triple-double accomplishments: 

♦ With 20-plus assists: Five

♦ With 20-plus rebounds: Three

♦ With 30-plus points: 47, including a 57-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist performance on March 29, 2017.

Only three times in NBA history has a player had both 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a triple-double. Westbrook has done it twice.

All these points, assists and rebounds have not just been good for Westbrook’s career stat lines; they’ve helped power 134 wins for the Thunder, Rockets and Wizards combined. 

Westbrook has just four games left in this season to break Robertson’s record while helping the Wizards earn a playoff berth. It would be the team’s first since the 2017-18 season when they lost to the top-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round.