By Dan Ferrara, NBA International
Hakeem. Dikembe. Pau.
The three international players with the most triple-doubles in NBA history are so legendary that they are recognized by only their first names. They’ve combined for 26 All-Star teams, made the playoffs a combined 38 of 52 seasons (73.1%) and won four championship rings. Two are Hall of Famers and they’ll likely all be enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts when all is said and done.
In a season dominated by triple-double talk, in which Russell Westbrook has tied Oscar Robertson’s 41 for the most in a single-season and the league totaled over 100 to shatter the old season record of 78, it’s important to examine some of the current international stars and how they have ranked historically.
Hakeem Olajuwon has the most triple-doubles by someone born outside of the United States with 15, the first of which he tallied when he was 22 years old. 11 of his 15 career triple-doubles came with the third categorical stat (besides points and rebounds) being blocks, and the remaining four were with assists. The most triple-doubles the Rockets legend ever compiled in a season was four in 1989-90.
All of Dikembe Mutombo’s 10 career triple-doubles were with blocks and likely featured his signature “finger wag” after emphatically rejecting a shot. The most he had in a single-season was three in 1993-94, as a member of the Denver Nuggets. Though incredibly he wasn’t an All-Star that season, he had his second-best season in terms of shot-blocking, leading the league by rejecting 4.1 shots per game.
Next comes Pau Gasol, the baller from Barcelona, who is now the idol of all European big men. Gasol’s soft shooting touch and deft passing ability reinvented the way that big men played the game and he spearheaded the movement that has led to this current generation of centers. Gasol has totaled eight triple-doubles in his career and they’ve all been done – unsurprisingly – with assists. His first came in 2006 when he was 25 with the Grizzlies, and his most in a single season is two.
Now comes two young European triple-double machines with equally incredible nicknames, who have taken the NBA by storm and changed the plans of their respective franchises in a major way.
The Greek Freak and the Joker.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo’s freakish athleticism has wowed many NBA fans around the world, Nikola Jokic’s phenomenal passing talents have also caught the attention of millions as well. Giannis can gallop for a fast-break dunk from half-court with one dribble and a few gazelle-like steps, while Jokic is making defenders look silly by tossing no-look, over-the-head passes to cutting teammates:
Antetokounmpo has seven career triple-doubles and is currently the only player in the NBA who leads his team in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. His next triple-double will tie him for third place all-time among international players, and he’s only 22 years old.
The young sensation from Athens is a stat-stuffing machine and would be the first player in NBA history to finish a season with his current averages (23.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks). He is the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Bucks, the face of the franchise after some uncertainty on draft night, when some thought of Giannis as a “reach.” The scariest part is that he’s just hitting his groove as a point forward under head coach Jason Kidd and he may just be scraping the tip of the iceberg in terms of his potential. A first-time All-Star this season, it remains to be seen just how amazing he can be in the future.
Jokic, on the other hand, has six triple-doubles this season at just 21 years old, making him younger than any of the previous legends mentioned at the time of his first. In fact, those six triple-doubles all came in a two month, 25-game span, a torrid stretch for the second-year stud who wasn’t even a full-time starter until mid-December. Jokic leads all centers in assists since the All-Star break with 6.3 per game and his tremendous development forced the Nuggets to deal center Jusuf Nurkic, who was actually drafted one round ahead of Jokic in 2014, to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NBA has shifted into a fascinating league that features some of the most athletic, dynamic players in the world. Centers, who used to patrol the paint and protect the rim, now shoot 3-pointers and lead their teams in passing. 6’11 forwards now play point guard and lead their teams in every statistical category. The result has been extremely entertaining and high-scoring basketball that can only improve as these young stars grow into their own and continue to develop all aspects of their game. For Giannis and Jokic, however, they’re far ahead of the curve and quickly climbing up the leaderboards among international legends.
