Rod Strickland simply could not be checked on Feb. 10, 1998.
Strickland and the Washington Wizards were playing the Golden State Warriors, and the Wizards were 25-24 heading into the matchup. Golden State was 8-37. By the time the Wizards had finished beating the Warriors, Strickland had put together a stat line for the ages.
He had a triple-double, scoring 21 points, dishing 20 assists and grabbing 12 rebounds. According to Basketball Reference, he is one of four guards in league history to score at least 20 points, dish 20 assists and grab 10 rebounds. Russell Westbrook, Isiah Thomas and Guy Rodgers are the other three.
Strickland’s performance was so good, that Los Angles Lakers star LeBron James shouted it out Friday on Twitter, quote tweeting a highlight video that showed Strickland’s career night.
James has always recognized the league’s greats, and Strickland was one of the best guards of his era. He was a crafty dribbler and had one of the best layup packages ever.
In 17 seasons, Strickland scored 13.2 points per game, dished 7.3 assists a game and shot 45.4% from the field. He ranks third on the Wizards’ all-time assists leaders, right behind John Wall and the late Wes Unseld.
