Russell Westbrook pulled down the defensive rebound off a missed shot by Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari. With the rebound, Westbrook collected his 182nd career triple-double, surpassing Oscar Robertson for most in NBA history.
The record stood for 47 years and was thought to be unbreakable by many. However, Westbrook has been on a triple-double tear, picking up 145 in the past five seasons alone.
After picking up a mere eight triple-doubles last season in his lone year with the Houston Rockets, Russell Westbrook was traded to the Wizards for John Wall and a future protected first-round draft pick. In his first season with Washington, Westbrook broke the Wizards’ all-time franchise record for triple-doubles with 16 in just 38 games.
Monday was his 36th of the season and now officially the triple-double king. He finished the game with 28 points, 21 assists and 13 rebounds.
Among his highlights against the Hawks, Westbrook included going coast-to-coast off a rebound.
He also threw nearly full-court dime to Rui Hachimura.
While the game ended in a loss, the more meaningful history moment will be most memorable for Westbrook and NBA historians.
Westbrook’s first 138 triple-doubles came in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform. That included 42 during the 2016-17 season in which he was named NBA MVP.
