ATLANTA — For 47 years Oscar Robertson’s record stood, a totem from an era in which the NBA’s brightest stars seemed untouchable. His mark of 181 triple-doubles — many of which he acquired before an official term existed for achieving double figures in three different statistical categories in a game — commingled with records set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (points), Wilt Chamberlain (rebounds) and John Stockton (assists).
But Monday at State Farm Arena in front of a scattered crowd and a few pockets of supporters shouting encouragement, Russell Westbrook joined their ranks in the record books. The Washington Wizards point guard tallied the 182nd triple-double of his career to eclipse Robertson’s hallowed mark.
He reached the milestone with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 125-124 loss to Atlanta with a rebound of a missed jumper from the Hawks’ Danilo Gallinari, after which the smattering of cheers turned into a full-throated chant — “Westbrook! Westbrook!” — and a round of applause from an arena full of fans celebrating pure greatness, team affiliation be damned. It followed another landmark early in the first quarter, when Westbrook, 32, joined Robertson, LeBron James and Gary Payton as the only players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points and 8,000 assists.
“I never really thought about [catching Robertson], honestly. I just kind of go out and play,” Westbrook said. “Every night I try to do things that people say can’t be done. My motto is: Why not? That’s how I live.
“It’s just a blessing. You put so much into the game. You put so much time, you sacrifice so much, to put into the game, and to be able to just be mentioned with guys like Oscar, Magic [Johnson], Jason Kidd, those guys — it’s just something that I never dreamt about as a young kid growing up in L.A. I’m truly grateful for moments like this. Normally I don’t like to pat myself on the back, but tonight I will. Because I’m so grateful for the ones before me. ... I take this job very seriously and I’m super grateful for my teammates and coaches along my journey thus far. Special thanks to my family.”
Westbrook led Washington with 28 points, 21 assists and 13 rebounds. Rui Hachimura added 20 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. Center Robin Lopez had 18 points, guard Ish Smith had 16 and forward Davis Bertans added 15, all coming off the bench.
Monumental though it was, Westbrook’s achievement couldn’t help the Wizards avoid a loss without leading scorer Bradley Beal, who will also miss Wednesday’s game in Atlanta with a left hamstring strain.
They rallied after climbing out of a 19-point hole in the fourth quarter. With his team down three with 30 seconds to play, Westbrook drove, then pulled back for a jumper, looking fruitlessly for the foul to give him a chance at a three-point play. The Hawks held their lead when another Westbrook jumper caromed off the rim as time ran out.
The loss mattered. Washington (32-37) is a half-game behind the Indiana Pacers, who beat Cleveland on Monday, for the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament and still needs two wins to clinch a spot. Atlanta (38-31) is fighting for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in its first-round playoff series.
But the loss won’t be what’s remembered.
“No, I didn’t think he would get it this year, but I knew he was going to get it and he’s going to pass it for — I don’t know what he’s going to end up with. It really depends how long he wants to play,” Wizards Coach Scott Brooks said after Westbrook tied Robertson’s mark Saturday. “ … Breaking Oscar’s record is unbelievable. There are certain players in the league’s history that you just, they’re just on a pedestal. You don’t think that they’re even real. Until you meet them you just think they’re some mythical character.”
Westbrook’s historic feat comes in an age in which triple-doubles are more common than ever — thanks, in part, to officials affording players more freedom of movement and a lightning-fast pace of play compared with much of the NBA’s recent past. According to the Associated Press, the rate of triple-doubles is up 47 percent over last season and 700 percent compared with the rate at which they occurred just nine years ago.
Yet Westbrook stands tallest — both as the player who helped usher in the modern triple-double movement and as a player who still churns out triple-doubles routinely, seemingly at will, even as they have become more frequent.
He leads the league with 36 this season and has a whopping 145 in the past five seasons. Leading MVP candidate Nikola Jokic stands second with 15. Westbrook has 26 triple-doubles in Washington’s 35 games since the all-star break.
The heft of his triple-doubles is singular as well. He notched the first 35-point, 20-assist triple-double in league history this season and has been on a tear since mid-March. Monday was his fifth straight game dishing at least 15 assists — the NBA’s longest such streak since Steve Nash did it in 2007-08 — and his second game in a week dishing at least 20.
“He’s been locked in, and he’s been relentless,” Lopez said. “And that’s something that I think anybody on the roster will tell you: That’s trickled down to everybody. It’s certainly a boon to have him on the floor with us.”
After Westbrook and Robertson, Johnson sits third on the all-time triple-double list with 138. Kidd is fourth with 107, and James rounds out the top five with 99.
Asked if he thought anyone might break his record one day, Westbrook chuckled.
“I’m not sure. I’m not sure at this point. I’m just trying to take it all in myself right now, honestly,” he said. “I guess we’ll see in another 50 years or so.”
Capacity up to 25 percent at home
Larger crowds are coming to Capital One Arena just in time for the Wizards’ playoff push this week. On Monday, D.C. officials approved increasing crowd capacity at Washington’s home arena from 10 percent to 25 percent beginning Friday, an increase from about 2,100 to 5,000 fans per game.
The Wizards will play their final two regular season games in front of the increased crowd. They host Cleveland on Friday and Charlotte on Sunday before the play-in tournament begins May 18.
