Triple-double
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A triple-double is a basketball term, defined as an individual performance in a game in which a player accumulates double-digit totals (i.e., 10 or more) in any three of these categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.
The most common way for a player to achieve a triple-double is with points, rebounds, and assists, though on occasion elite defensive players may record 10 or more steals or blocked shots in a game.
A triple-double is seen as an indication of an excellent all-around individual performance. In the American National Basketball Association, they are rare but not unheard-of, as the top players can accumulate around 10 (out of a possible 82) in a season. In today's NBA, 6' 4" point guard Jason Kidd and small forward LeBron James are generally seen as the most viable triple-double threats in any given game.
Only one player in NBA history, Oscar Robertson, has ever achieved the feat of averaging a triple-double over an entire season. During the 1961-1962 season, Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Robertson's feat is unlikely to be duplicated in today's NBA as offensive play is more deliberate than in Robertson's day, due both to offensive strategy and increasingly sophisticated defenses. Fewer possessions in a game offer fewer opportunities for players to put up high numbers in assists or rebounds. In fact, it has been estimated that there were about one-third more rebounds available in an NBA game of the early 1960s than today. Also, the greater emphasis of one-on-one play in today's NBA as opposed to that of Robertson's day tends to limit opportunities for assists.
LeBron James is the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double. On January 19, 2005, versus the Portland Trail Blazers, aged 20 years and 20 days, he had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
A double-triple-double requires at least 20 of any three statistics. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player to have accomplished this; in a 1968 game, Chamberlain's statistics were 22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists. Wilt Chamberlain also holds the record for the longet continuous streak of triple-doubles where from January 8th 1968 to January 20th 1968 he recorded nine straight.
Jason Kidd also merits mention as being the leader among active NBA players in triple-doubles, with 75 as of April 10, 2006. Oscar Robertson is the all-time leader with 181, followed by Magic Johnson's 138, and Wilt Chamberlain's 78. Kidd is currently fourth, and Larry Bird is fifth with 59.
Michael Jordan also deserves mention as recording the only triple-double in an All-Star game.
See also
et:Triple-double fr:Triple-double ja:トリプル・ダブル pl:Triple-double th:ทริปเปิล-ดับเบิล tr:Triple-double