At least 10 points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Stuffing the stat sheet in every column that matters has reportedly been done only once. However, did the quintuple-double really happen? And will it ever happen again?
On May 10, 2021, Russell Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s all-time record for triple-doubles. Naturally, this sparked off a debate. Many believe that stats are a testament to a player’s greatness, especially if they result in winning basketball. Others, however, see stats as a result of stat-padding. Accomplished on bad teams that make mediocre players look good.
Wilt Chamberlain’s quintuple-double
This would be a good time to look at the legendary quintuple-double, rumored to have happened only once. When it comes to ridiculous stats, there’s one usual suspect who’s always on the list. Wilt Chamberlain, on March 18th, 1968, completed the only quintuple-double in NBA history. This is odd because the league officially began recording blocks in 1973, nearly 5 years later. Our only source of information for this feat is Harvey Pollack, a statistician working for the NBA since its inaugural year. Pollack recorded that Wilt finished the game with 53 Points, 32 Rebounds, 14 Assists, 24 Blocks, And 11 Steals. Pollack is also the only source for Wilt’s 100-point game, making the famous sign Wilt held in his post-game photo. Unfortunately, Pollack being the only source for these accomplishments means that the basketball world takes him at his word for it.
Draymond Green and other players who have come close
While a few NBA players in the modern-day could have repeated what Wilt accomplished, no one has come close. A table on Interbasket contains a list of ‘almost quintuple-doubles.’ Clearly, the fact that players have been at least 6 stats off of getting one shows how difficult it really is. The list includes the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, both of whom have a quadruple-double. Draymond Green, however, would’ve been the closest in NBA history had he managed to score 6 more points. Ironically, the lack of these points gave him the first-ever triple-double without at least 10 points.
Players who have a chance of getting a quintuple-double
The obvious contender everyone will rush to think about is Russell Westbrook. He is a stat machine and is currently having a historical season for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. However, the stumbling block in Russ’ attempt to make this statistical dream a reality would be, well, blocks. Westbrook has averaged less than a block a game throughout his career, with his single-game high being 4. Even if he manages to get the 10 steals required, it’s difficult to imagine a game where he’ll get the 10 blocks.
Point forwards like LeBron James and Ben Simmons should also be in the conversation. It’s easy to see them getting a conventional triple-double, but it gets a little harder after that. Historically, LeBron has been elite at defense, but his block numbers have been declining over the years, so the odds of him getting 10 in a game seem tough. While Simmons has more years left, it’s unlikely that he’ll put a game like this together.
The prime candidates are the centers, namely Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Jokic regularly grabs triple-doubles, but his defense could be an impediment towards him accomplishing this feat. Unless he dramatically improves his defense over the next couple of years, the chances look slim. Joel Embiid is an elite defender but is let down by his ability to steal the ball. It would take a very special/unusual game for him to come close to getting a quintuple-double. However, they historically have the best chances, as seen when looking at the other names (mostly big men) who’ve come close to accomplishing this feat.
Will it happen again?
Well, probably not. However, statically crazy games come out of the blue. If one does happen to come, it’ll most likely be from one of the guys named above.
