What is a triple-double, and where did the term come from?
Double figures in three statistical categories in one game — a benchmark of all-round basketball brilliance, with a name popularised in the 1980s and a history that runs back to Oscar Robertson.
What it means
A triple-double is when a player reaches double figures — ten or more — in three of the five main statistical categories in a single game. Those categories are points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. By far the most common version is points, rebounds and assists, because it captures a player who scores, controls the glass and sets up teammates all at once.
Why it's prized
The triple-double is celebrated because it measures all-round impact rather than a single skill. Scoring 30 points shows one thing; posting 15 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists shows a player influencing every part of the game. It's the statistical signature of a complete performance, which is why point guards and versatile forwards chase it and why it headlines a box score.
Where the term came from
The stat itself always existed, but the catchy name was popularised in the 1980s, commonly credited to the Los Angeles Lakers' PR staff during the Magic Johnson era, who wanted a snappy way to describe his all-court stat lines. "Double-double" (double figures in two categories) and the rarer "quadruple-double" (four) followed the same simple naming logic.
Its history and extremes
Long before the term existed, Oscar Robertson famously averaged a triple-double across an entire 1961–62 season — a feat unmatched for decades until Russell Westbrook did it again in 2016–17. Rarer still is the quadruple-double, achieved only a handful of times in NBA history. Whatever the era, the triple-double endures as basketball's shorthand for a player who did a bit of everything, brilliantly.