Russell Westbrook has broken Oscar Robertson's NBA record for career triple-doubles on Tuesday (NZ time).
Kiwi Steven Adams' former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate grabbed his 10th rebound of the night in the fourth quarter for his Washington Wizards against the host Atlanta Hawks to notch his 182nd triple-double - his 36th in 62 games this year.
Westbrook finished the night with 28 points, 13 boards and 21 assists, but he missed a potential game-winning buzzer-beater from three-point range, as the Wizards ultimately lost to the Hawks 125-124.
Robertson, 82, was one of numerous basketball luminaries who offered congratulations to Westbrook as part of a video tribute the Wizards tweeted.
"I'm very happy for you," Robertson said. "Your family is very proud of you, and I salute you for all your accomplishments in the game of basketball."
The next three players on the all-time triple-double list behind Westbrook and Robertson - No. 3 Magic Johnson (138), No. 4 Jason Kidd (107) and No. 5 LeBron James (99) - all saluted Westbrook, too.
Johnson said, "You know I know how hard it is to get a triple-double, and the fact that I couldn't even pass Oscar Robertson, so you did something I couldn't even do, and I'm proud of you."
Kidd added: "What a feat. Incredible. You left me a long time ago, but you are going to go down as Mr. Triple-Double."
James said: "Love you, man. It's an incredible feat. Someone had to do it. Why not you? Impressive, bro. Impressive."
Westbrook, 32, tied Robertson on Saturday, when he posted 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in the Wizards' 133-132 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers. He also made the tying and winning free throws late in overtime to cap off a special night.
Westbrook spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before being traded to the Houston Rockets in July 2019. The Rockets traded Westbrook to Washington in exchange for John Wall and two first-round draft picks just before the 2020-21 season began.
Entering Tuesday, Westbrook was averaging 23.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game for his career (939 games).
The nine-time All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champion was the league's 2016-17 Most Valuable Player.
That was the first of consecutive seasons in which he averaged a triple-double, and he is on pace to do so for the fourth time in his career this season.
Robertson, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, is considered one of the best point guards in the history of the game. The "Big O" played with the Cincinnati Royals from 1960-61 to 1969-70, then with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1970-71 to 1973-74.
Reuters.
