LeBron James breaks the NBA’s All-Time scoring record every single time he puts the ball in the basket, but that isn’t the only history he has been making lately.
While leading the Lakers to a 128-123 win vs. the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, James scored 35 points to go with 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his third triple-double in a row, and fourth of the season. That may not sound all that unprecedented considering the prodigious statistical territory LeBron’s career has existed within, but one stat from TSN sports stats maven Keerthika Uthayakumar put it in staggering perspective: Not only has no player as old as James — who is 39 years old, and will turn 40 next month — ever had three consecutive triple-doubles, but the only player to ever previously achieve the mark at anywhere close to James’ current age?
Well, James himself, of course:
39-year-old LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to record 3 straight triple-doubles.
The previous oldest player was 34-year-old LeBron James. https://t.co/OhC7WKQsCp
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) November 14, 2024
Update, Nov. 15: And in a Friday win against the Spurs, James not only set a new career-high for most triple-doubles in a row with four — again, at age FORTY, in his 22nd season — by dropping 15 points to go with 12 assists and 16 rebounds, he also joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to record four consecutive triple-doubles at older than 30, and additionally became the oldest player ever to have four in a row:
39-year-old LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to record 4 straight triple-doubles. It’s the longest streak of his career.
The previous oldest player was 33-year-old Russell Westbrook.
A player over the age of 34 has never recorded 4 straight triple-doubles.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) November 16, 2024
Some insane LeBron notes:
– 5 triple-doubles in the first 12 games, had 5 all last season
– 3rd in the NBA with 9.6 assists
– Scored or assisted on 229 of the Lakers’ 487 points in the last 4 – that’s 47% of their points
– 1 of 2 players to be averaging 20/8/9This is year 22.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) November 16, 2024
He is also the only player to record 30-point triple-doubles 19 years apart.
Those aren’t the only mind-blowing stats from this ridiculous Year 22 LeBron run, however. For instance, LeBron’s first triple-double was on Jan. 19, 2005. His son and current teammate, Bronny James, was three months old at the time, and six players to get NBA minutes this season — Ulrich Chomche (Toronto Raptors), Pacome Dadiet (New York Knicks), Tidjane Salaün (Charlotte Hornets), Ron Holland (Detroit Pistons), and Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards) — were not yet born.
It’s all just the latest wild statistical data from The King, and yet another indicator that for all the promising young players in the NBA currently and coming in the future, we simply may never see longevity quite like LeBron’s again.
