In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term refers to the two (double) categories and the second "double" refers to accumulating ten or more (typically double digits) in that category. Similarly, a player records a triple-double, quadruple-double, and quintuple-double when accumulating ten or more in three, four, or all five of the statistical categories, respectively. While double-doubles and triple-doubles occur regularly each NBA season, only four quadruple-doubles have ever been officially recorded in the league. Those performances were recorded by Nate Thurmond (1974), Alvin Robertson (1986), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990), and David Robinson (1994). It is sometimes claimed that Wilt Chamberlain recorded an unofficial quintuple-double on March 18, 1968, in a 158–128 Philadelphia 76ers win over the Los Angeles Lakers with the official box score showing 53 points, 32 rebounds, and 14 assists, and later reconstructions attributing additional blocks and steals. Because the NBA did not begin officially recording steals and blocks until the 1973–74 season, such claims are not recognized as official league records. A related achievement, the five-by-five, is recorded when a player totals at least five each in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single game; it is also rare.
Double-double A double-double is a performance in which a player accumulates a double-digit total in two of five statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots—in a game. The most common double-double combination is points and rebounds, followed by points and assists. During the 2008–09 NBA season, 69 players who were eligible for leadership in the main statistical categories recorded at least ten double-doubles during the season.
Since the season, Tim Duncan leads the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the points–rebounds combination with 841 double-doubles, John Stockton leads the points–assists combination with 714, and Russell Westbrook leads the rebounds–assists combinations with 142. Since the season, Tim Duncan also holds the record for most total career double-doubles in the NBA, having recorded 841. In league history, the record for most career double-doubles is 968, held by Wilt Chamberlain.
Special double-doubles are rare. One such achievement is sometimes called a 20–20, double double-double, or double-20, when a player accumulates 20 or more in two statistics in a game. Another similar feat is a 30–30. The only player in NBA history to record a 40–40 is Wilt Chamberlain, who achieved the feat eight times in his career, four of which were in his rookie season. Longest continuous streak of double-doubles: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with 227 consecutive double-doubles from 1964 to 1967. Chamberlain also holds the second- and third-longest continuous streaks of double-doubles with 220 and 133. This record is before the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The longest streak of double-doubles since the merger is actively 61 games, achieved by Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings. Youngest player: Tracy McGrady (Toronto Raptors), aged 18 years and 175 days, logged a double-double on November 15, 1997, versus the Indiana Pacers. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Oldest player: Dikembe Mutombo (Houston Rockets), aged 42 years and 289 days, logged a double-double on April 10, 2009, versus the Golden State Warriors. He had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Triple-double
A triple-double is a single-game performance by a player who accumulates a double-digit number total in three of five statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots—in a game. The most common way for a player to achieve a triple-double is with points, rebounds, and assists, though on occasion players may record 10 or more steals or blocked shots in a game. The origin of the term "triple-double" is unclear. Some sources claim that it was coined in the NBA by former Los Angeles Lakers public relations director Bruce Jolesch in the 1980s in order to showcase Magic Johnson's versatility, while others claim that it was coined by then Philadelphia 76ers media relations director Harvey Pollack in 1980. The earliest known appearances of the phrase in print come from October 1980 issues of the Los Angeles Times, although, as early as 1974, Bob Ryan wrote in The Boston Globe that "John Havlicek just missed a triple double-figure night."
Triple-doubles in the NBA
The triple-double became an officially recorded statistic in the NBA during the . That season, there were 32 triple-doubles, 12 more than the previous season. From the to the s, the NBA recorded a total of 543 triple-doubles, or 45.25 triple-doubles per season. This can be largely attributed to Magic Johnson, who was responsible for 137 of this timespan's triple-doubles, or about 25.23% of them. After Johnson retired in 1991, the number of triple-doubles in the league declined. From the to the s, there were only 841 triple-doubles, or about 35.04 triple-doubles per season. Jason Kidd recorded the most triple-doubles in this timespan with 107, which was 68 more than second placed LeBron James. However, in the , the number of triple-doubles recorded in the NBA grew from 46 to 75. From the to the , the NBA recorded 352 triple doubles, which was approximately 117.33 triple-doubles per season. Over those three years, Russell Westbrook recorded 101 triple-doubles—28.69% of all triple-doubles in that timespan.
During the 2017 NBA season on February 10, 2017, Warriors forward Draymond Green became the first player in NBA history to achieve a triple double without scoring 10 points. Green had 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals and 4 points while contributing to his team's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies 122–107.
There has been occasional controversy surrounding triple-doubles made when a player achieves the feat with a late rebound. Players with nine rebounds in a game have sometimes been accused of deliberately missing a shot late in the game in order to recover the rebound. One such case involved a player shooting at his own team's basket. On March 16, 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers were up 120–95 against the Utah Jazz with four seconds left in the fourth quarter. Following an inbounded ball, Cavaliers guard Ricky Davis shot the ball off his own team's basket to secure the final rebound for a triple-double. The move was criticized by players, coaches, and the media. To deter this, NBA rules allow rebounds to be nullified if the shot is determined not to be a legitimate scoring attempt.
Russell Westbrook holds the NBA record for career triple-doubles with 209. He, Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokić are the only three players to average a triple-double over a season, with Robertson achieving the feat once, Jokić twice, and Westbrook achieving the feat four times. Magic Johnson holds the playoff record for career triple-doubles with 30.
WNBA
Triple-doubles have been rarer in the WNBA than in the NBA. Games are shorter (40 minutes vs 48), there are fewer games (fewer teams) in a season (44 vs 82), and the playing style in the WNBA is more of a team game than relying on star players. As of the mid-2026 season, 67 triple-doubles have been recorded in the WNBA. Alyssa Thomas has the all-time record with twenty seven, and no other player has more than five.
NCAA Division I
Most triple-doubles in a career: Men's: Kyle Collinsworth (BYU, 2010–11, 2013–16) with 12 — six in 2014–15 and six again as a senior in 2015–16. Before the triple-double being tracked as an NCAA statistic, Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) had 10—five in 1958–59 and five in 1959–60. Although BYU was forced to vacate all but one of its wins in the 2015–16 season due to improper benefits provided by boosters to another BYU player, Collinsworth's triple-double record was not affected. Women's: Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon, 2016–2020) with 26 – four in 2016–17, six in 2017–18, eight in 2018–19, and eight in 2019–20. Consecutive triple-doubles: In Division I men's play, David Edwards (Texas A&M), Penny Hardaway (Memphis State), Tony Lee (Robert Morris), Gerald Lewis (SMU), Shaquille O'Neal (LSU), and Kevin Roberson (Vermont) each recorded two consecutive games with a triple-double.
In women's play, Danielle Carson (Youngstown State), Kim Rhock (Mount St. Mary's), Nicole Powell (Stanford), Ashley Schrock (Cleveland State), Claire Faucher (Portland State), Brittney Griner (Baylor), and Ny Hammonds (Charlotte) have accomplished this feat once. Powell did so in successive rounds of the NCAA tournament. Sabrina Ionescu has done so twice, and Chastadie Barrs of Lamar has done so three times, making them the only D-I players of either sex to do so more than once. Barrs is the only player to have recorded consecutive triple-doubles twice in a single season, doing so in 2018–19. Two women are the only NCAA players of either sex in any division to have recorded three consecutive triple-doubles. The first was Carson in the 1985–86 season. She began by recording 12 points, ten rebounds, and 12 assists against Akron on November 29, 1985. The following day, she recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds, and at least 20 assists against Kent State (her exact assists total in that game is unknown). Finally, on December 2 against Cleveland State, Carson recorded 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 14 assists. Barrs matched the feat in the 2018–19 season. She began with 17 points, ten rebounds, and 12 steals on January 9, 2019 against New Orleans. Next, on January 12, Barrs had ten points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists against Central Arkansas. Finally, on January 16, Barrs recorded 15 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists against Southeastern Louisiana. Most triple-doubles in a single season: Men's: Kyle Collinsworth (BYU), with six – performed twice: in the 2014–15 season, and again in 2015–16. Women's: Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), with eight in the 2018–19 season. Triple-doubles in NCAA tournament history: Men's The NCAA first recorded individual assists in men's basketball in 1950–51, but stopped doing so after the 1951–52 season, and did not resume keeping track of assists until 1983–84. Blocks and steals were first recorded in 1985–86. Thus, the NCAA officially records ten tournament triple-doubles. However, many tournaments had included assists, steals and blocks in their official boxscores prior to that time, so unofficially this has occurred 18 times. Only three pre-1986 triple-doubles are included below. Name Team Score Opponent Round Date Minutes played Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks Reference Cincinnati 98–85 Louisville Third place 39 39 17 10 — — Michigan State 95–64 Lamar Second round 35 13 17 10 101–67 Penn Final Four 35 29 10 10 3 0 Michigan 97–109 North Carolina Second round 39 24 10 10 1 0 LSU 94–83 BYU First round 31 26 13 4 1 11 St. John's 85–67 Texas Tech First round 37 12 11 11 1 0 Utah 76–51 Arizona Elite Eight 36 18 14 13 2 1 Marquette 83–69 Kentucky Elite Eight 35 29 11 11 1 4 Kansas 60–43 Dayton Second round 31 13 20 1 0 10 Michigan State 76–78 UCLA First round 37 23 11 10 4 0 Michigan State 89–67 Long Island Second round 35 24 12 10 1 0 Murray State 83–64 Marquette First round 39 17 11 16 0 0 Illinois 85–69 Morehead State First round 36 12 11 10 0 0
Women's In women's basketball, the NCAA began keeping track of assists in 1985–86, then blocks and steals in 1987–88, so officially this has occurred 14 times. However, many tournaments had included assists, steals and blocks in their official boxscores prior to that time, so unofficially this has occurred 17 times. All three triple-doubles that preceded the NCAA's official inclusion of the relevant statistics are included below.