Most Triple Doubles in NBA History: Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden, and More

A triple double in the sport of basketball, and that too on a professional level, has been a dream of many in the NBA world. However, a few of them only achieve such achievements that are made when a player surpasses a certain parameter in three of the pre-decided stats. It is a certificate in a highly competitive environment of the NBA to the players for their all-round performance. Usually, generational players like Magic Johnson, Nikola Jokic, and Russell Westbrook possess such accolades.

In recent times, Nikola Jokic has emerged as a player capable of surpassing legends like Wilt Chamberlain in the domain of triple double records. Today, we are going to explore such players who are topping this list of triple doubles. But before moving to the list count, let’s get to know more about the record.

What is a Triple Double?

The league first officially started recording the triple double statistic in the 1979-80 season. The triple double is a basketball statistic line that poses itself as an aspiration for many basketball players. However, very few of such aspiring players get to achieve this stat line in their career. This prestigious record line is measured with the categories of points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. So when a player reaches double digits in three of these categories, it’s called a ‘triple double’.

Triple doubles are considered an elite stat for the players because it shows that the player has the ability to cover both ends of the court. Also, it requires court vision to implement the plays during a game. So, it might be safe to assume that the players who achieved triple doubles in the NBA are the prodigies or legends of the game. Usually, the players achieve their triple double record by reaching double digits in points, rebounds, and assists. However, some elite defenders can achieve this feat through steals and blocks, though it is quite rare in the world of the NBA.

NBA’s All-Time Triple Double Leaders

The NBA Triple Double leaders started emerging after the 1979-80 season. However, as the league evolved, the player started padding the record in volume numbers over time. Especially in the current era, the number of triple doubles is increasing every day. But only some of them are able to repeat this feat and stand long in the top 10 rankings of the All-Time Triple Double leaders, according to official NBA data:

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10. Domantas Sabonis:

The Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis holds the tenth ranking on the list of All-Time Triple Double leaders. He has stacked up 67 triple-doubles, out of which 66 triple doubles came during the regular season, while one came during the playoffs. In the 2024-25 season, Sabonis has scored 8 triple-doubles so far. Out of his career triple-doubles, Domantas has scored 33 triple-doubles while playing at home. On the other hand, 34 of his triple-doubles are on the foreign court or while playing on the road.

9. Wilt Chamberlain:

The NBA Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain holds the ninth place on the All-Time Triple Double list as he has 78 triple-doubles during his NBA career. The Goliath holds the record for twice recording a 25-point triple-double with 100% field goal shooting. Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic are the only players in NBA history to average a triple double in back-to-back Playoff series. The most number of triple doubles he dumped during the 1966-67(22) and 1967-68(31) seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.

8. James Harden:

As of February 26, 2025, James Harden has 79 career triple doubles in the NBA. He became the first NBA player to score 60 points in a triple-double on January 30, 2018. He achieved this feat during a 114-107 win over the Orlando Magic, which also set a new franchise scoring record for the Houston Rockets. James recorded his first playoff triple-double of his career against the Los Angeles Clippers in May 2015. Eventually, he helped his team avoid elimination that night. The Clippers star made the most number of triple doubles in the 2015-16 (22) season while playing for the Rockets. He also tied the 76ers’ single-game assists record with a triple-double in 2022.

7. Luka Doncic:

The Los Angeles Lakers star recently recorded his 81 triple double(regular season) record on February 25, 2025 while playing against the Dallas Mavericks. That’s why he currently holds the seventh place on this list. His last triple double with the Mavericks was recorded on December 15, 2024. In the current season, Luka Doncic has made 4 triple-doubles so far. In his career, he has 90 career triple doubles, out of which 10 are postseason triple-doubles.

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6. Jason Kidd:

In the 1391 games that Jason Kidd has played, he has recorded 107 triple doubles while playing in the NBA. In his career, he has recorded 118 triple-doubles, out of which 11 are postseason triple-doubles. He made the most triple doubles during the 2007-08 season, in which he made 13 triple-doubles during the regular season. He has played 19 seasons in the league and most of it was spent in the Brooklyn Nets.

5. LeBron James:

LeBron James has recorded 122 regular season triple-doubles, while his career triple-double mark is at 151. In the 2024-25 season, he has recorded 10 triple-doubles so far. His performance improves if he is playing away from the home court because he has made 79 triple-doubles in his career playing on the road. He made the most number of triple-doubles while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18(18).

4. Magic Johnson:

Magic Johnson has recorded 138 regular-season triple-doubles in his career. If we include his postseason triple-doubles as well, the count will increase to 168. He played in 13 NBA seasons while representing the Los Angeles Lakers. The most number of triple doubles he recorded came during the 1988-89(17) season.

3. Nikola Jokic:

The Joker from the Denver Nuggets is the modern-day powerhouse of basketball. He has been quickly climbing up the ladder of the All-Time Triple Double leaders list because he has already recorded 157 regular season triple doubles. Including his playoff appearances, his triple-double rises to 175. In his ten-season stint within the league, while playing for the Nuggets, he recorded the most number of triple-doubles(29) in the 2022-23 NBA season. Also, he is more dominant on home court because he has recorded 105 triple doubles of his career there.

2. Oscar Robertson:

Oscar Robertson’s career triple double record is 181, which he achieved between 1960 and 1974. He played for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks. He was the first player to average a triple-double in a season in 1961–62. The Big O’s record stood firm for 47 years until Russell Westbrook shattered it in the 2020–21 season. During the 1961-62 season, he recorded the most number of triple doubles(41) in his career in the NBA while playing for the Cincinnati Royals.

1. Russell Westbrook:

As of February 2025, Russell Westbrook holds the NBA record for the most career triple-doubles with 203. He’s been the All-Time Triple-Doubles leader since May 2021, when he surpassed Oscar Robertson’s previous record of 181. He recorded the last triple double on January 10, 2025 while playing against the Brooklyn Nets. Including his playoff performance, he has 215 triple doubles in the bag. He was consistent with his triple-double streak while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the past. During that period, he recorded 42 triple-doubles in the 2016-17 season. But in the current season, he could only record 3 so far.

Rankings	Player	Number of Triple Doubles
1	Russell Westbrook*	203
2	Oscar Robertson	181
3	Nikola Jokić*	157
4	Magic Johnson	138
5	LeBron James*	122
6	Jason Kidd	107
7	Luka Dončić*	81
8	James Harden*	79
9	Wilt Chamberlain	78
10	Domantas Sabonis*	66

The Evolution of the Triple-Double Record

Oscar Robertson was the first player to make the triple-double a trend in the league. He set an unrealistic standard and averaged triple-double across an entire season (1961-62). That’s why his record of 181 career triple doubles was unbreakable for decades. After about 61 years, Russell Westbrook broke his record in 2021. Since then, Westbrook has been continuously increasing the count of his all-around scoring, assist, and rebounding abilities.

On the other hand, modern-day players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic are quickly moving up the ranks. They are already on the top 10 table, so there are chances they might surpass the big names on the list soon with their playing style in upcoming years in the league.

Notable Triple Double Performances

• Wilt Chamberlain (1968): The Goliath, one of the two players to ever record a double-triple-double (22 points, 25 rebounds, 21 assists).
• Russell Westbrook (2016-17): During the mentioned season, Westbrook became the second player in history to average a triple-double for an entire season. He also became the second player in NBA history to ever record a double-triple double after the Goliath in 2019.
• Luka Dončić (2022): Doncic 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, one of the highest-scoring triple-doubles in NBA history to clinch victory from the New York Knicks during overtime.

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