Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman shifted in his chair, let loose a wry smile and shook his head.
“If Nikola doesn’t win MVP, it will be the greatest season of all time to not win MVP,” he said.
On Friday night, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić became the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, joining Oscar Robertson and his teammate Russell Westbrook in achieving the feat.
🚨 NIKOLA JOKIĆ MAKES MORE HISTORY 🚨
Tonight, Joker secured another record, as he will AVERAGE a triple-double in the 2024-25 campaign 🤯
He joins Russell Westbrook (4x) and Oscar Robertson as the ONLY players in NBA history to accomplish this feat. pic.twitter.com/OBTb5j0Ka3
— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2025
Westbrook averaged a triple-double in three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19) and one with the Washington Wizards (2020-21), while Robertson, a Hall of Famer, did so during the 1961-62 season playing for the Cincinnati Royals.
What makes Jokić’s season special is that he’s the first center to hit the mark. Over half a century ago, Wilt Chamberlain became the first center in NBA history to lead the league in assists. This season, Jokić pushed the center position into a new realm. The seven-time All-Star leads the league in triple-doubles with 34. He’s averaging a career high in points and assists with one regular-season game remaining for the Nuggets.
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Does that equate to Jokić winning his fourth MVP trophy? That remains to be seen. But in Friday night’s 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Jokić scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and handed out 13 assists.
His ability to control every facet of a game has vaulted him into rarefied air. And on Friday night, he put a cap on what has arguably been his greatest individual season.
(Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
