Josh Giddey's brilliant rookie season for the Oklahoma City Thunder has hit new heights, with the Australian point guard equalling one of the NBA's greatest-ever players with his third-straight triple-double.
Giddey put up 17 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the Thunder's 114-106 loss to San Antonio to record his third-straight triple-double.
He is the first rookie to do so since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in the 1960-61 season.
It continues a tremendous rookie campaign for the 19-year-old, who was fresh off setting a new career high in points scored after he put up 28, to go with 12 assists and 11 rebounds, in OKC's win over New York on Wednesday.
"Obviously it's cool to get your name alongside any greats," Giddey said.
"But as I always say, it's always about the team. If we could've got a win tonight, it would've been great. That's why New York was so special."
Giddey has experienced a meteoric rise in recent weeks and has risen to third place on the NBA's Rookie of the Year ladder.
His 71 assists in February put him fifth in the entire NBA and he is currently tied for second-most 10-assist games as a rookie with nine, behind just LeBron James (11).
He is also second in points per game among rookies through the last month, with 16.4 PPG.
"He's a good player," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the match.
"I thought he played a really good floor game tonight. The triple-double stuff is just a by-product of how he's playing."
With the All Star break approaching, Giddey will next see the court in the Rising Stars Challenge as part of All Star Weekend.
What is a triple-double?
A triple-double is a statistical term describing when a player records at least 10 or more of three of the following stats in a single game — points, assists, rebounds, blocks or steals.
It is most commonly used for points, rebounds and assists and is regarded as a measure of a player's all-round basketball ability.
Robertson, an NBA Hall of Famer, is renowned for averaging a triple-double in points, assists and rebounds through a whole season with the Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62.
Former Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook matched the feat during his MVP season with OKC in 2017 and has since repeated that effort three times.
Westbrook is currently the all-time leader in triple-doubles with 193, with Robertson in second with 181.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson rounds out the podium with 138.
