Nikola Jokić’s 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists helped the Nuggets edge the Phoenix Suns 108-107 in an overtime thriller. It also put him in rare company.
The 24-year-old center secured his 29th regular season triple-double, giving him one ahead of arguably the greatest player of all-time in Michael Jordan. When Jokic heard about the accomplishment, he responded in typical fashion.
“Nice! Hopefully, I’m going to pass him in rings,” he said. “That would be nice.”
Jordan won six rings in a storied career that spanned 15 years with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. Jokic is now tied with Grant Hill and John Havlicek for 11th all-time in the stat.
“Triple-doubles, [the stats] doesn’t really matter,” Jokic said. “It’s nice, of course, but it doesn’t really mean anything to me.”
Another NBA legend, Oscar Robertson, is the all-time regular season triple-double leader with 181. He’s followed by Russell Westbrook and Magic Johnson, who are tied for second at 138. Jokić’s teammate, Jamal Murray, believes the Serbian will continue to move up the list.
“It’s amazing, it seems like it’s every other night for him,” Murray told Nuggets.com. “It seems like its every other night that Joker has a triple-double and it’s nothing new. He’s going to pass a lot more guys.”