Triple-double

A triple-double is a basketball term, defined as an individual performance in a game in which at least 10 of the following are accumulated: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The "easiest" way for a player to achieve a triple-double is by points, rebounds, and assists, though elite defensive players occasionally achieve 10 steals or blocked shots in a game.

A triple-double is seen as an indication of an excellent all-around individual performance. In the current 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, Jason Kidd is generally seen as the most viable triple-double threat in any given game.

Exactly one player in NBA history, Oscar Robertson, has 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.

There are also quadruple-doubles, a game in which a player accumulates 10 or more of four of the above-listed statistics. In NBA history, there have been only four quadruple-double performances. (There have been no quintuple-double performances.) They are:

• 1974 -- Nate Thurmond; 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks
• 1986 -- Alvin Robertson; 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and steals
• 1990 -- Hakeem Olajuwon; 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 blocks
• 1994 -- David Robinson; 34 points, 10 rebounds, assists, and blocks

Wilt Chamberlain merits mention as being the only player in NBA history to record a double-triple-double (at least 20 of any three statistics). During a game in 1968, Chamberlain scored 22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists.