There was hardly any doubt, really.
When Russell Westbrook took the floor on Tuesday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta to face the Hawks, all eyes were on him to make history. The Washington Wizards broadcast was ready. The crew constantly showed clips of Oscar Robertson and his 47-year-old record. There was a triple-double tracker displayed every so often just so everyone knew how many more points, rebounds, or assists he needed.
There was hardly any doubt, but that shouldn’t take away from the monumental feat that Westbrook achieved. By grabbing a rebound with 8:30 left on the clock, he got his 10th board, accumulating his 182nd career triple-double. He finished the game with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists.
"It's just a blessing,” Westbrook said postgame. "You put so much into the game, so much time, you sacrifice so much. To be able to just be mentioned with guys like Oscar, Magic (Johnson) and Jason Kidd, those guys, is something I never dreamed about as a young kid growing up in L.A. Truly grateful for moments like this.”
"I'm super grateful, especially for Oscar,” he added about the NBA legend whose record stood since 1974. "He paved the way for guys like myself, he endured different things back in the time when he was playing where he was able to do that and still be effective on the floor."
In today’s NBA, getting double-figures in three statistical categories seems routine to even Westbrook himself. Then again, he rewrote NBA history in a way that only he can author. As he climbed to the top of the all-time triple-double list, he did so in a manner that embodied his 13-year career.
"I’m very confident in who I am. I'm very confident with the things I do for this game and things I do on the floor,” he said. "I take a lot of pride in going out and preparing myself, being one of the consistent guys in this league. It’s a tough thing to be able to do. And I want to be able to get that confidence in my teammates, my coaches, and my organization that when they call my number, they know what they’re going to get.”
Westbrook remains unapologetic, confident, and brazenly authentic of who he is as a person and as a basketball player.
"Normally I don't like to pat myself on the back but tonight I will. Just because I am so grateful for the ones before me and so blessed and thankful for the man above for allowing me to go out and do what I do,” Westbrook said, while also mentioning the support of his family. "I take this job very seriously. Super grateful for all my teammates and coaches along my journey thus far."
There are critics who say that getting a triple-double in this day and age is almost expected of any player. That with the game today with all its focus on scoring and spacing, a feat like this can easily be attained by guys like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. That there’s a stat for everything nowadays and impressive numbers just don’t hold the same value any more than they used to. That Westbrook himself isn’t a basketball anomaly but merely a product of an era that’s making triple-doubles more common with each passing season.
But maybe that’s what separates Westbrook and his triple-doubles: he makes it look so damn easy. In the last five seasons, he’s putting up astronomical numbers of 25.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.0 assists. He has averaged a triple-double in four of the last five years dating back to his MVP season.
This year alone, he’s on a tear that’s hard to fathom even by his own standards. Counting Tuesday’s game, he has achieved a triple-double for the fifth straight time, eight of the last nine, 22 of the last 26 games, and 26 of his last 34 since the All-Star break.
In his 2016-2017 MVP campaign, his first triple-double season, it could be said that Westbrook played with a certain edge and a personal vendetta. He became the solo star for the Oklahoma City Thunder following Kevin Durant’s departure from the team. With a 41.65 usage rate (the highest in league history), he played with liquid rage flowing through him. He was a one-man hurricane destined to wreak havoc on anything that came across his way.
Five years later, Westbrook's numbers just flow through him like water – natural and serene. He’s not putting up stats just for the sake of putting up stats. He’s not snatching a rebound away from Robin Lopez nor is he taking a shot at the expense of Rui Hachimura just because he can. Sure, he was definitely chasing Big O’s record, but watching him play with the Wizards at this stage of his career makes you think that he plays with more purpose.
At the start of the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game, Westbrook already had 17 points and 11 assists, but he was still three rebounds short of the record. The Wizards were getting pummelled by the Hawks, who led 98-79 after Danilo Gallinari converted on a jumper.
That’s when Westbrook took it up a notch. However, he didn’t pour gasoline and threw a match like he used to do. Like a magician who’s done a trick a thousand times, he scored, rebounded, and assisted methodically to help the Wizards catch up. Staring at a 19-point lead, he dished out to Lopez for a hook shot. He pulled up for a jump shot on the next possession. Another dime to Chandler Hutchison and to Lopez once again.
Westbrook got his eighth board off a miss from Kevin Huerter, then he went coast-to-coast for a layup. Another Hawks miss moments later, he got his ninth rebound. He needed one more to be the all-time leader.
After dishing one more assist (his 15th), he finally made history after corralling the ball off a miss by Gallinari. What happened after making that historic rebound? He got another assist on the Wizards’ next possession.
Describing Westbrook’s game only quantitatively would be a disservice to how he plays qualitatively. He approaches the game with focus and passion that you simply can’t ignore. He just cares so much every season, every game, and every possession.
It only took three and a half minutes to turn a 19-point deficit down to just four. Westbrook willed his team back amid making history. At this point in his career, at 32 years of age, he is in complete control of the game and himself. Still, it’s not always perfect for the new triple-double record-holder. Cases made against him always mention the truckload of turnovers, the inefficiency, the inconsistency, and the late-game blunders.
Toward the endgame, the Wizards had a chance to steal the win. Daniel Gafford was able to pry the ball away from the Hawks frontline and it was off to the races with the clock winding down. Running downhill on a one-point game with roughly two seconds left, Westbrook rose for a 3-pointer that bricked.
In many ways, it was the purest Westbrook experience. Maybe he should have driven to the hoop. Maybe he should have attacked and drawn a foul. Maybe taking a pull-up 3 wasn’t the best shot. A game-winner would have been a storybook ending, but sometimes that’s how it is with him. You’ve got to appreciate that at that crucial moment of the game, that’s a shot that only he can take. It’s all signature Westbrook. You prepare, work hard like crazy, give everything you’ve got, and live with the results.
"Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, I always stay true to myself,” said Westbrook. “I will never change because I have been blessed to be able to play this game at a level that nobody else can play at. And I won't stop until I can't play no more.”
There was hardly any doubt that Russell Westbrook would be the new triple-double king. Records are meant to be broken, although Robertson’s feat seemed unbreakable for a long time. Westbrook makes triple-doubles look easy nowadays, but that doesn’t make them any less special.
