Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History With Triple-Double vs. Bulls

Nikola Jokic does it again. The Denver Nuggets' superstar center is a statistical anomaly, and on Saturday night, he moved himself up the NBA all-time leaderboard once again.

As the Nuggets traveled to face the Chicago Bulls, looking to snap a three-game losing streak, Jokic stuffed the stat sheet to do all he could to help this team win. With a dominant triple-double in Chicago, Jokic officially passed NBA legend Oscar Robertson for the second-most triple-doubles in league history with 182.

Congrats to Nikola Jokić of the @nuggets for moving to 2nd all-time in triple-doubles! pic.twitter.com/Og1XOyAn7G
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2026

This marks Jokic's 18th triple-double of the season through 37 appearances, and he is now just 25 triple-doubles away from matching Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook for the most in league history.

While Jokic might not reach Westbrook's mark this season, as he would need a triple-double in every game but four (not including any triple-doubles that Westbrook might record), there is no doubt that he will ultimately break the record for most career triple-doubles ever.

Nikola Jokic's historic career

Jokic has already cemented himself as one of the greatest to ever play by winning three MVP awards in the last five years. This season, Jokic is averaging 29.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 10.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, while impressively shooting 59.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.

As long as Jokic stays eligible for end-of-season awards, he will likely become the first player in NBA history to finish in the top two in MVP voting for six straight years.

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Jokic already made significant history earlier in the season when he passed the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career assists by a center, cementing himself as the greatest passing big man of all-time. Now, by passing Robertson on the all-time triple-double leaderboard, Jokic continues to make his case as the best statistical player to ever play.

While many casual fans might see Jokic's numbers and assume he statpads, they would be wrong. Jokic does everything possible on offense, from scoring on all three levels to being the best passer in the league, while also being one of the most effective rebounders we have seen. Not only that, but his basketball IQ is off the charts. From being in the right spots to setting up his teammates, Jokic has not climbed up the triple-double leaderboard by chance.

On one hand, it would be great to see the former Nugget, Russell Westbrook, keep his all-time triple-double record. However, Jokic is on pace to finish the season with 32 triple-doubles (196 total), which puts him just under a dozen away from Westbrook's record. By this time next year, Jokic will have the record, and Westbrook will no longer be the triple-double king.

As Jokic continues to climb up these all-time leaderboards, it becomes harder and harder to say he is not one of the greatest NBA players we have ever seen.

Nikola Jokic's historic career

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