Exactly 11 years ago, on October 28, 2015, Nikola Jokić made his NBA debut. He played four minutes and scored two points in Denver’s win over Houston. After the Nuggets’ recent game in New Orleans, he was reminded of that debut and asked whether he remembered how he scored his first basket. He answered without hesitation: “With a right-handed hook.”
On the same date in 2026, Jokić became just the second player in NBA history to record 200 regular-season triple-doubles. He finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against the Pelicans as Denver won 104-91. The center who began his NBA career as a reserve is now closing in on a record long associated with the game’s greatest playmakers.
Russell Westbrook retired with 209 regular-season triple-doubles. Jokić needs nine more to tie him and ten to take sole possession of first place. Given his production over the past two seasons, he could realistically get there before the end of 2026. His recent pace also suggests he could eventually surpass Westbrook’s total by a considerable margin.
The Numbers Point to December
Jokić recorded 34 triple-doubles in 70 games during the 2024-25 season. He matched that total last season despite playing just 65 games. His 68 triple-doubles in 135 games work out to one every 1.99 games.
If he maintains that pace, he would need roughly 20 more appearances to add ten triple-doubles. Denver had played five games through the end of October, and Jokić already had two triple-doubles, putting a potential record-breaking performance in the second half of December. That projection assumes he stays healthy and continues playing at roughly the same level.
Jokić reached 200 triple-doubles in just his 814th regular-season game. Westbrook needed 1,175 appearances to reach the same mark, 361 more. The Serbian center already holds the combined regular-season and playoff record, with 223 triple-doubles to Westbrook’s 221. On the all-time regular-season list, however, Westbrook remains in front.
Both players reached 200 triple-doubles wearing a Denver uniform. Westbrook achieved the milestone in November 2024, when Jokić was his teammate. That season, they became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to record triple-doubles in the same game more than once.
Triple-Doubles Are More Common, but Jokić Still Stands Apart
Today’s NBA offers more opportunities for triple-doubles than was the case throughout much of the league’s history. Offenses increasingly run through players who are responsible for both scoring and creating opportunities for teammates. The volume of three-point shooting opens up space in the paint, while a faster pace produces more possessions and more opportunities for rebounds and assists. The NBA recorded 136 triple-doubles during the 2025-26 season. Jokić accounted for 34 of them, exactly one-quarter of the league total. Josh Giddey and Jalen Johnson were next with 13 apiece.
Comparisons with earlier generations also require context. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double in 1961-62, an era when the pace of play was exceptionally high and teams had significantly more possessions than they would in many subsequent decades. His career record of 181 triple-doubles stood for nearly half a century after his retirement, until Westbrook surpassed it in 2021.
Westbrook earned his place in that history. His 42 triple-doubles in 2016-17 remain the single-season record. He played with tremendous energy, attacking the rim, collecting rebounds from the guard position and directly creating a large share of his teams’ offense.
Denver’s offense runs through the decisions the Serbian center makes with the ball in his hands. He operates from the low post, the high post and often well away from the basket, reading the defense and his teammates’ movements. He frequently punishes double-teams by finding the open man, while his scoring ability makes him difficult to contain with single coverage. His two-man game with Jamal Murray constantly forces defenses to decide which player to prioritize, while Aaron Gordon takes advantage of the space created by cutting behind defenders.
In 2025-26, Jokić became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game, averaging 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists. Wilt Chamberlain had led both categories in total numbers during the 1967-68 season, but statistical leaders were determined by totals rather than per-game averages at the time.
Jokić is Denver’s leading rebounder, the focal point of its offense and the player responsible for most of its crucial decisions with the ball. Of his 200 triple-doubles, 155 came with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Only Oscar Robertson, with 174 such games, has more. Denver has won 154 of the 200 games in which Jokić recorded a triple-double, a 77 percent winning percentage.
Who Could Challenge Jokić’s Future Record?
If Jokić finishes this season and each of the next two with 34 triple-doubles, he would end the 2028-29 season with exactly 300 in regular-season play. It is a hypothetical scenario that would require him to maintain exceptional production for another three seasons. To reach 300 triple-doubles, another player would need to average 20 per season for 15 years, for example. Even in today’s NBA, that would require remarkable consistency and longevity.
Among active players, LeBron James is closest to Jokić with 125 triple-doubles, but he is approaching the end of his career. Luka Dončić has 90 and, given his age and style of play, is one of the strongest long-term candidates to challenge the top of the list. Still, Dončić would need another 110 triple-doubles just to match Jokić’s current total.
As more players take on major playmaking roles regardless of position, future generations could produce even more triple-doubles. But an individual career record will depend on whether someone can sustain that level of production for roughly 15 seasons. Jokić is already 31, and his performances over the past few seasons suggest that entering his 30s has not diminished his ability to dominate several statistical categories.
Back in February 2025, when they were still teammates, Jokić joked to Westbrook that he could not wait to break his triple-double record so he could make fun of him for the rest of his life. Westbrook took the joke with a smile. A year and a half later, only ten triple-doubles stand between Jokić and that moment.