Nikola Jokic continues to do amazing things in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets unicorn center added to his resume Thursday night with another triple-double, but it wasn't just a normal trip-dub.
By posting at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in Denver's road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jokic has finally passed the great Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles by a center in a career. Via StatMuse:
It happened.
A Wilt record has been broken.
Most triple doubles by a center ever.  pic.twitter.com/xaCJT5UOnh
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 4, 2022
Nikola Jokic had 78 NBA triple-doubles going into the matchup against the Thunder, tied for sixth all-time with Chamberlain. He posted 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists to get him over the hump in the Nuggets' 122-110 win over the Thunder.
With his 79th career triple-double, the Serbian superstar has inched closer to the top, though he is unlikely to catch Russell Westbrook atop the all-time triple-double list. As of this writing, Westbrook has 194 trip-dubs, and he could add more to that as he remains active in the NBA.
Nevertheless, having 79 triple-doubles is mind-blowing, especially for a center, but that is also why Nikola Jokic is a top-tier player in the league. He is a center in size but has the mind of a point guard, able to diagnose plays before they could even unfold, which is also why he's an assist-generating machine.
No center outside of Chamberlain is remotely even close to Nikola Jokic in terms of career triple-doubles. Giannis Antetokounmpo is perhaps the closest one, but he's not a full-time center. Plus he's only got 29 so far. In other words, Jokic's record should indeed stand for a very long time.
Chamberlain surely would have had more than 78 triple-doubles if blocks were counted from the start, but in any case, he is still regarded as one of the best of all time.
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