Hall of Famer Magic Johnson congratulated superstar Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook for passing him on the NBA’s all-time list of triple-doubles by an individual player.
The 28 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds recorded by Westbrook during Houston’s win Saturday night over the Pelicans represented the 139th triple-double of Westbrook’s storied career, which passes Johnson for second on the NBA’s all-time list.
Speaking postgame at Toyota Center, Westbrook said:
I know nowadays, getting a triple-double seems normal, but I take a pride, a lot of energy, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of things I do off the floor to prepare myself to be able to compete every single night and play at a high level. For me, that’s a great accomplishment, especially growing up and never even thinking I’d be playing in the NBA. Now being there and being in the history books is just a blessing to me, and something that I don’t take for granted one bit.
Johnson, a former Los Angeles Lakers great and one of the team’s top executives last season, then took to Twitter to congratulate Houston’s 6-foot-3 guard on the accomplishment. At 6-foot-9, Johnson had a slightly easier time with the rebounding component of triple-doubles due to his height advantage at the point guard position.
The leader on the all-time triple double list is Oscar Robertson with 181, so Westbrook (139) still has a ways to go to climb to the top of the mountain. But considering he’s averaged a triple-double in each of the past three NBA regular seasons and still has most of his peak athleticism at 30 years old, it probably isn’t far off.
The Rockets (1-1) return to game action Monday to conclude a three-game homestand to open the 2019-20 season. That game will also be historic for Westbrook, since it will be his first time to face Oklahoma City after playing 11 seasons there to begin his career. Westbrook won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with the Thunder in 2017, which was the first year he averaged a triple-double.
