Russell Westbrook made history Monday night, notching his 182nd career triple-double — and moving past Oscar Robertson for the all-time NBA record.
Robertson’s record lasted 47 years, from 1974 through Monday night when a fourth-quarter rebound in front of a reduced-capacity crowd in Atlanta gave Westbrook sole possession of the record. It took him 12 years to surpass Robertson’s record after he achieved his first triple-double (17 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds) in 2009 as a rookie with the Thunder.
MORE: Jaylen Brown injury update: Celtics star out for rest of season with torn wrist ligament
Monday’s triple-double was Westbrook’s 36th of the year. That insane output is helping him average, for the fourth time in his career, a triple-double over the course of the season. The previous such campaigns came in 2016-17 through 2018-19.
Westbrook finished with 28 points, 21 assists and 13 rebounds in the Wizards’ 125-124 loss to the Hawks; the loss dropped Washington to 32-37 on the season, but the team still ranks 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. The Wizards’ playoff hopes pale in comparison to the history Westbrook made, however.
He even made sure to get the game ball from officials so he could be certain to commemorate the historic achievement.
Here are some of the best reactions to Westbrook’s history-making feat:
CONGRATULATIONS, RUSSELL WESTBROOK, FOR BREAKING OSCAR ROBERTSON’S 47-YEAR-OLD CAREER TRIPLE-DOUBLE RECORD. NOBODY HAS EVER PLAYED HARDER EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION. NOBODY HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO DOMINATE A STAT SHEET IN ALL 3 CATEGORIES THE WAY THIS MAN CAN.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 11, 2021
Congratulations from Oklahoma City to @russwest44 on becoming the all-time triple-double leader!
There’s been some debate whether it is still “Russell Westbrook Day”… Tonight, let’s just say that it is.
We love you, Russ!
— Mayor David Holt (@davidfholt) May 11, 2021
Career triple-doubles:
Russell Westbrook: 182
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett, Steph Curry, Allen Iverson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Derrick Rose, Bill Russell, Gary Payton and Kawhi Leonard COMBINED:
181Combined.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 11, 2021