Jokic passes Hall of Famer on all-time triple-doubles list

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. David Richard-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic passes NBA Hall of Famer on all-time triple-doubles list

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 6, 2024 5:52 AM ET

The Nuggets lost 126-114 to the red-hot Cavaliers on Thursday night, but Nikola Jokic made some history regardless.

The three-time MVP finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists to record the 139th triple-double of his career. As a result, he moved past Magic Johnson (138) to third on the list of all-time triple-double leaders. He only trails teammate Russell Westbrook (200) and Oscar Robertson (181) on the leaderboard.

With his 10th 20-rebound triple-double, Jokic joined Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor in an exclusive club.

Congrats to Nikola Jokić of the @nuggets for moving to 3rd on the all-time TRIPLE-DOUBLES list! pic.twitter.com/2iR8f4GxM6
— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024

Nikola Jokić records his 10th career game with a 20+ rebound triple-double, joining Wilt Chamberlain (59), Bill Russell (13), and Elgin Baylor (10) as the only players in NBA history with at least 10+ such games. https://t.co/XGNNXFYfNs pic.twitter.com/bJ2A4RCGmE
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) December 6, 2024

So, what is the realistic timeline for Jokic to reach the 200 mark? The Serb recorded 35 triple-doubles in his first two MVP seasons (2020-21, 2021-22) but upped those numbers enormously to 54 over his next few seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24). This season, he already has nine triple-doubles and counting.

If Jokic were to record 30 triple-doubles this season — a realistic target — he'd move up to 160. Jokic could hit the 200 mark by the 2026-27 season or even earlier if he were to go bonkers in 2025-26.

Regardless of when he gets there, it's a safe bet that Jokic will eventually surpass the 36-year-old Westbrook and create separation from everyone else. This season, he is on pace to average a triple-double for the first time in his career after narrowly missing out in 2022-23 (9.8 assists). The big man is averaging career-highs in points (29.9), assists (10.4) and steals (1.8) and his second-best rebounds (13.4) for the season.

Jokic downplayed his historic season by stating that he'll have more time to reflect on records and milestones after his playing career.

"It's something that you’re probably going to look at after you finish your career," Jokic said via The Associated Press. "Right now, you don’t even think about it. But it's a great thing. It's really nice."

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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