There might be some criticisms of his game, but there is one thing Russell Westbrook has done better than anyone in NBA history.
The Denver Nuggets guard became the first player to record 200 career triple-doubles on Tuesday, posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in a 122-110 NBA Cup play win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He got there just in time, pulling in his 10th rebound with 1:17 left in the game.
Westbrook was already the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, having surpassed Oscar Robertson in 2021. His frequency has fallen off since then, correlating with his transition from ball-dominant point guard to bench player. Tuesday was only his second since getting traded from the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 season, and his first with the Nuggets.
Still, Westbrook now holds sole occupation in an impressive club, though he might have company in a few years, or several.
Who will join Russell Westbrook in the 200-triple-doubles club?
The active player closest to Westbrook on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard is Nikola Jokić with 136. To reach 200 on his career, Jokić only has to repeat the production of his previous three seasons, in which he recorded 73 across 222 games.
That seems very doable, as the reigning MVP shows no signs of slowing down. He already has six triple-doubles this season and entered Tuesday leading the NBA in both rebounds (13.7) and assists (11.7) per game. He sat out his third straight game Tuesday due to personal reasons, which likely had something to do with Westbrook’s historic night.
Luka Dončić also appears likely to join Westbrook by the time his career is over, with 77 triple-doubles to his name at only 25 years old. Replicating his production over the next 10 or so years would be tough for any player, but the length of the runway is more important than anything.
Despite the triple-double, the most notable moment of Westbrook’s night might have been his technical foul.
Late in the third quarter, Westbrook drove past Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama, stared him down for approximately a second and started running to the other end of the court. He got T’d up for that, somehow.
You can only imagine what the NBA would look like if every player were held to that standard. Obviously, it didn’t trip Westbrook too much.