Luka Doncic passes Magic Johnson for third-most triple-doubles by a rookie in NBA history

Author Photo
luka-040919-ftr-getty.jpg

On Tuesday, Luka Doncic recorded his eighth triple-double of the season.

In 32 minutes of play, the rookie phenom scored 21 points, grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and dished out 11 assists in a 120-109 win over the Phoenix Suns.


Doncic shot 6-for-14 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. One of those 3-pointers came in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Mavericks a seven point lead as the Suns were trying to rally back thanks to a huge 39-point second half from Jamal Crawford.


The win doesn't mean much for the Mavericks in the big scheme of things, but Doncic made some history with his performance. According to Basketball-Reference, he moved into third place for the most triple-doubles all-time for a rookie, passing Magic Johnson. 

Oscar Roberston (26) and Ben Simmons (12) are the only first-year players who have ever had more.

Most triple-doubles in a season by a rookie
Rank Player Season Triple-Doubles
1 Oscar Robertson 1960-61 26
2 Ben Simmons 2017-18 12
3 Luka Doncic 2018-19 8
4 Magic Johnson 1979-80 7
5 Alvan Adams 1975-76 5
5 Tom Gola 1955-56 5

Four of Doncic's triple-doubles came before his 20th birthday. Not only did that make him the second teenager in NBA history to record a triple-double, he's the only teenager ever to record multiple triple-doubles.

One of those was a 30-point triple-double, which, once again, was the first of its kind for a player his age.

The Mavericks only have one more game remaining this season, so Doncic won't catch Simmons at No. 2 or Robertson at No. 1, but finishing third is an impressive accomplishment for the 20-year-old and a sign of what's to come.

Author(s)
Scott Rafferty Photo

Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News