Nikola Jokic Speaks on Passing Oscar Robertson on Triple-Double List

Nikola Jokic made history on Saturday night in Chicago, recording his 182nd career triple-double to pass NBA legend Oscar Robertson for the second-most triple-doubles in league history.

The three-time MVP put up 22 points, 14 rebounds and 17 assists as the Denver Nuggets cruised to a 136-120 victory over the Chicago Bulls, and when he was asked about passing Robertson after the game, Jokic kept it simple and showed nothing but respect for the Hall of Famer.

"He is a legendary player," Jokic said. "Any player who steps into this league knows he's a global legend."

Robertson was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season back in 1961-62, and his 181 career triple-doubles stood as a top-two mark for decades.

Now Jokic has passed him and only trails Russell Westbrook's 207 on the all-time list.

Westbrook, Jokic and Robertson are the only three players in league history to average a triple-double for a full season, with Westbrook doing it four times, Jokic doing it twice and Robertson doing it once.

Jokic's stat line against Chicago was absurd even by his own standards.

His 17 assists from the center position is something that simply does not happen in the NBA unless your name is Nikola Jokic, and Nuggets head coach David Adelman said as much after the game.

"When your center gets 17 assists in a game, that just doesn't happen," Adelman said. "Unless it's him. It's absolutely unbelievable what he's done."

The triple-double was Jokic's 19th of the 2025-26 season and his second in back-to-back games after he tied Robertson with his 181st in a double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks earlier in the week.

On the season, Jokic is averaging 29.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game, and he is doing it all while shooting over 60 percent from the field.

Those numbers put him on pace for another historic year even after missing 16 games earlier in the season due to a left knee injury.

The fact that Jokic is dominating a stat category that has been almost entirely owned by guards throughout NBA history says everything about how he has changed the game.

Robertson and Westbrook are both point guards who ran their respective offenses, and Jokic is a center who does all of that while also grabbing double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis and scoring at an elite level.

Teammate Jamal Murray spoke about what the future holds for Jokic and the record after the win.

"He's got a lot of that left," Murray said. "It's going to be a Usain Bolt record when he sets it. He's going to have that for a long time."

With the win, the Nuggets improved to 34-19 on the season and sit third in the Western Conference as they continue to build momentum heading into the second half of the year.

The Bulls dropped to 24-29 with the loss after going through major roster changes at the trade deadline.

Denver's next game is Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena, and if Jokic keeps playing at this level, Westbrook's record of 207 could be in serious danger before long.

Jokic will turn 31 on February 19, and with the way he is playing right now, there is no reason to think the triple-doubles are going to slow down anytime soon.