How Far Is Nikola Jokic From LeBron James’ Triple-Double Record?

Nikola Jokic is one of the most dominant players in the NBA. The 6’ 11” Serb has played consistently for the Denver Nuggets since his draft in 2014. And LeBron James needs no introduction. He will be playing his 21st NBA season while looking to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their 18th championship.

Both of these players are impressively skilled in scoring, passing, and rebounding at a high rate. This makes them competitors in many categories but the one where they are neck-to-neck is triple-doubles. With the regular season starting soon, it provides either of them the chance to score and easily take or maintain the lead. 

LeBron is leading between the two… for now

According to the current stats, LeBron is ahead of Jokic but the latter could overtake him very easily. The Lakers forward is at number 4, having netted a total of 107 triple-doubles in the regular season, a spot he shares with former NBA All-Star Jason Kidd. The Serb follows him right behind at number 5 with 105, just short of three to surpass him. When talking about their career triple doubles, LeBron again leads with an impressive 136 while Jokic lags a bit behind with 121. 

The Nuggets’ center has all the chances at following through with this. He is the most durable and consistent scorer who led the team to their first championship last season. And he will definitely be looking for a repeat of that this time too. Lebron on the other hand, has had issues with injuries, having played just 55 games. For him to maintain this lead would take some effort.  

Will The Joker surpass The King

Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game last season. He was also able to secure 29 triple-doubles throughout the year. The five time NBA All-Star was also the year-by-year triple-doubles leader for the past two seasons. LeBron had previously held this title from 2008 to 2011. 

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In the previous season, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. However, he only had two triple-doubles. While he has shown no evidence of slowing down or backing out, playing so many seasons is bound to take a toll on his physical health. Therefore, by looking at these stats alone, Jokic can easily surpass James very early in the 2023-24 season. To overtake James lead in career triple-doubles would take some effort on the Serb’s part. But if we were to consider his track record, even that is doable sometime later into the season. 

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As the Nuggets take on the Lakers for the opening game of the 2023-24 regular season, we will be on the look-out to see who scores and take this lead.