Russell Westbrook has once again made history.
The former Oklahoma City Thunder and current Washington Wizards star recorded his 182nd career triple-double on Monday, breaking the record set by Oscar Robertson 47 years ago.
Westbrook recorded the triple-double in the fourth quarter when he grabbed his 10th rebound to go with what was at the time 21 points and 15 assists.
He finished with 28 points, 21 assists and 13 rebounds while scoring or assisting on 14 of the 17 field goals made by the Wizards in their 45-point fourth quarter. It wasn’t quite enough for the victory, as Westbrook’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim and the Atlanta Hawks won 125-124.
This is Westbrook’s third game with 20 or more assists this season and the second time this month.
Westbrook was named Player of the Week on Monday after he averaged 22.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 18.3 assists in a 3-1 week for the Wizards.
He has 23 assists in the last 26 games and has 36 in the season. Sixty-eight games into the 72-game schedule, this pace is actually slightly better than that of his 2016-17 MVP season with the Thunder, when he broke the single-season record with 42 triple-doubles in the 82-game season.
This season, Westbrook has averaged 22 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game. He has inserted himself into All-NBA conversations as he wills Washington into a play-in spot and toward the eighth seed.
It’s the continuation of a dominant career. This will be the fourth time in the last five years that Westbrook has averaged a triple-double. At one point a statistic that helped him win the MVP award, this notable performance has become a matter-of-fact footnote for the star point guard.
In one season, Westbrook has set the Wizards’ record for triple-doubles.
Westbrook also broke the 8,000-assist mark on Monday, putting him alongside Robertson, LeBron James and Gary Payton as the only four players in NBA history to record that many assists and 20,000 points, according to ESPN.
Over Westbrook’s 11-year career with the Thunder, he averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists while reaching eight All-Star games.
The Wizards have three more games on their schedule. They will play the Hawks on Wednesday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday before taking on the Charlotte Hornets in what may be a battle for the eighth seed.
