The gap between Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic continues to close.

On Nov. 12, 2023, Jokic led the Nuggets to a victory over the Pelicans with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, marking his third triple-double of the 2023-24 season and the 108th in his career.

Jokic broke a three-way tie with Jason Kidd and LeBron James in the process to move into fourth place on the NBA’s all-time triple-double leaderboard. He has since added to his tally, further closing in on the all-time leaders.

Only Westbrook, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson are now ahead of the two-time MVP.

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What is a triple-double?

A triple-double is achieved when a player logs 10 or more of three statistical categories, not including turnovers.

For example, in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to victory with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, giving him a triple-double. Had he grabbed nine rebounds instead of 10, he would’ve missed out on a triple-double.

The most common triple-double is double-digit points, rebounds and assists. It’s happened several times, but it’s rare for players to record a triple-double with double-digit blocks or steals.

Who has the most triple-doubles in NBA history?

Nobody has recorded more regular-season triple-doubles in NBA history than Russell Westbrook (198). The player closest to him is Oscar Robertson, who recorded 181 triple-doubles in his Hall of Fame career.

Magic Johnson (138), Nikola Jokic (109), LeBron James (108) and Jason Kidd (107) join Westbrook and Robertson as the only players who have recorded 100 or more triple-doubles in their careers. The two other active players in the top 10 on the all-time leaderboard are James Harden (74) and Luka Doncic (58).

With Doncic being 24 years old, he’ll have a chance of breaking into the top five at the rate he’s going.

Most triple-doubles in NBA history (Stathead)Rank Player Triple-doubles1. Russell Westbrook 1982. Oscar Robertson 1813. Magic Johnson 1384. Nikola Jokic 1095. LeBron James 1086. Jason Kidd 1077. Wilt Chamberlain 788. James Harden 749. Larry Bird 5910. Luka Doncic 5811. Fat Lever 4312. Giannis Antetokounmpo 3513. Bob Cousy 33 Domantas Sabonis 33 Ben Simmons 3316. Rajon Rondo 3217. Draymond Green 31 John Havlicek 3119. Grant Hill 2920. Michael Jordan 2821. Elgin Baylor 2622. Clyde Drexler 2523. Walt Frazier 2324. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Micheal Ray Richardson 21 Chris Webber 21 Kobe Bryant 21 Kyle Lowry 21

Has anyone ever averaged a triple-double?

There have been five instances when a player has averaged a triple-double over an entire NBA season.

Oscar Robertson was the first to do it when he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game in the 1961-62 season. More than 50 years later, Russell Westbrook joined him in the history books when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game in the 2016-17 season.

Westbrook recorded 42 triple-doubles that season, breaking Robertson’s record for most in a single season.

Westbrook has since accomplished the rare feat three more times, making him the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple seasons.

NBA players to average a triple-doublePlayer Season Team PPG APG RPGOscar Robertson 1961-62 Royals 30.8 11.4 12.5Russell Westbrook 2016-17 Thunder 31.6 10.4 10.7Russell Westbrook 2017-18 Thunder 25.4 10.3 10.1Russell Westbrook 2018-19 Thunder 22.9 10.7 11.1Russell Westbrook 2020-21 Wizards 22.2 11.7 11.5

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic came close to averaging a triple-double in the 2022-23 season when he posted 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. Magic Johnson is the only other player to flirt with averaging a triple-double.