Could Russell Westbrook one day surpass Oscar Robertson as the triple-double king?
On Wednesday night, Russell Westbrook recorded his 107th career triple-double and tied Jason Kidd for third on the all-time list. That is rare air, and the former NBA MVP is putting together another spectacular season.
Westbrook helped the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-83, and he put up 23 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in the win. As you can see below, he had his way with Cleveland all night.
This was his second triple-double in a row and third of the year.
Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson are the only former NBA players in the world who have more than Westbrook. Robertson is the overall leader of the list with 181, and Johnson has a more than respectable 138.
The pace at which Russell has racked these up is truly impressive. It only took him 760 games to achieve this, and it took Kidd, a Hall of Famer, 1,247 games.
“I am extremely blessed and humbled to be able to go out and play and compete in the NBA in of itself, and just to be named with Jason Kidd and Magic and Oscar and those guys, I could never have dreamt about even sitting here talking to you guys,” Westbrook said to ESPN. “I take everything in and never take anything for granted.”
If Russell continues to play like this, then it’s possible that he could pass both Johnson (even next season) and Robertson eventually. Could Westbrook become the triple-double king? He definitely has the drive and the skills to make it happen, and the only thing that could hold him back is an injury.
As Westbrook destroys all of the triple-double records, the Thunder are thriving as a team as well. They are currently 13-7 and are only one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for first place in the Western Conference standings. How are the Clippers pulling that off by the way?
If the Thunder keep playing like this, though, then they might be seeing their former star Kevin Durant in the playoffs. Westbrook would certainly embrace the challenge of averaging a triple-double during a series with the Golden State Warriors, and it would make for some dramatic television.