"Crazy. 7th all-time and only 25 years old.": NBA fans are stunned at Luka Doncic's breakneck speed to climb triple-double ladder
Since making his NBA debut in 2018, Luka Doncic has evolved into one of the best players in the league. Last season, no other player scored more points than the Slovenian superstar. However, he is not a one-dimensional player and can contribute in all facets of the game. He is capable of scoring, passing, rebounding and chipping in with steals and blocks.
During the Dallas Mavericks' 125-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Doncic finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to record his second triple-double in two days. It was his 79th career triple-double and passed Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden to move up to seventh on the NBA's all-time triple-doubles list.
Doncic still has a long way to go to catch Russell Westbrook's 200, but he is on the right track. It is noteworthy that Doncic is only 25 years old and it has taken less than seven seasons to reach the historic milestone.
Fans on social media were stunned at the speed that has propelled his way up the triple-double charts.
"Crazy. 7th all time and only 25 years old," a fan said on X.
"He's going to end up top 2, no doubt," another fan said.
"The names on this list…crazy. Luka is 25," one fan wrote.
"Ion even wanna prop Luka but he’s 25…that’s genuinely insane," a fan commented.
"Bro came in the league 6 years ago," another fan wrote.
"In good company! Congrats Luka!" one fan said.
Doncic needed just 418 games to record 79 triple-doubles. Former Philadelphia 76ers and LA Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain played 1,045 games to reach 78. LA Clippers guard James Harden reached it over 1,096 games.
Sitting above Doncic on the prestigious list is Jason Kidd, who is his coach with the Mavericks. Kidd played 1,391 games with four different franchises and racked up 107 triple-doubles in his career.
Russell Westbrook (200), Nikola Jokic (139) and LeBron James (119) are the only active players with more triple-doubles than Doncic.
Over an excellent seven-year NBA career, Luka Doncic is averaging 28.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 8.1 apg. He is a five-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA first team selection and was also named the Rookie of the Year in 2019.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic led the NBA in scoring over the 2023-24 season
Last season, Luka Doncic recorded a remarkable 2,370 points and averaged 33.9 ppg over 70 games. He ranked first in the league in ppg ahead of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4) and OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.1).
Doncic had a memorable regular season, averaging 33.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 9.8 apg and 1.4 spg. His stellar play continued throughout the playoffs where he helped the Mavericks to the NBA finals, the franchise's first appearance since 2011.
Despite putting up some eye-catching numbers, Doncic finished third in the MVP voting behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander.