Dream Does It All
On this day in 1990, the Houston Rockets’ Hakeem Olajuwon compiled 29 points, 18 rebounds, 11 blocks, nine assists, and five steals in a 129-109 win over the Golden State Warriors. Since the NBA began tracking steals and blocks in 1973-74, it is one of only two instances in which a player recorded a triple-double and a five-by-five* in the same game. The first instance came on March 10, 1987, also by Olajuwon.
* A five-by-five occurs when a player records at least five of each of the following: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
This was one of six career five-by-fives for Olajuwon, three more such games than any other player (Andrei Kirilenko, 3). It was also one of 10 career triple-doubles in which Olajuwon recorded at least 10 blocks. The only other player to record 10 such games is Dikembe Mutombo.
Rare Feat for McConnell
On this day in 2021, the Indiana Pacers’ T.J. McConnell tallied 16 points, 13 assists, and 10 steals in a 114-111 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74, McConnell is one of only six players to record at least 10 points, 10 assists, and 10 steals in a game:
Fat Lever (March 9, 1985)
Clyde Drexler (Jan. 10, 1986)
Alvin Robertson (Feb. 18, 1986)
Kevin Johnson (Dec. 9, 1993)
Mookie Blaylock (April 14, 1998)
T.J. McConnell (March 3, 2021)
McConnell is the only player to achieve the feat in a game in which he came off the bench.
McConnell also hit all eight of his shots from the field. The only players in NBA history to make more shots from the field without a miss while recording a triple-double are Nikola Jokic (11) and Draymond Green (9).
First of Its Kind
On this day in 1963, the San Francisco Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain produced 42 points, 33 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 123-122 win over the Cincinnati Royals, becoming the first player in NBA history to record at least 40 points, 30 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game. He would repeat the feat two more times (Feb. 24, 1967 and March 18, 1968), but no other player in NBA history has recorded such a game.
This was one of 66 career games in which Chamberlain recorded at least 40 points and 30 rebounds. Only five other players in NBA history have produced such a game:
George Mikan
Bailey Howell
Elgin Baylor
Bob Petti
Elvin Hayes
Baylor is the other player to do so more than once. He recorded two such games.
Big Game for Big E
On this day in 1978, the Washington Bullets’ Elvin Hayes scored 22 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, and blocked 11 shots in a 124-108 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Hayes became the first player to officially* record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a game, and at 32 years and 106 days old remains the oldest player to do so. None of the other players to record such a game did so after their 29th birthday.
* The NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Hayes is one of only three players to record at least 20 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a game:
Elvin Hayes (March 3, 1978)
Hakeem Olajuwon (Dec. 17, 1989)
Shaquille O’Neal (Nov. 20, 1993)
Hayes set a franchise single-game record for blocks, a mark that was later surpassed by Manute Bol (multiple times).
Career High for LeBron
On this day in 2014, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a 124-107 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. James shot 22-33 from the field — including 8-10 from 3-point range — and made nine of his 12 free throws.
James’ true shooting percentage was 79.7%, at the time the second-highest such figure in NBA history by a player in a 60-point game. He now ranks sixth on that list:
89.8% — Damian Lillard (Jan. 25, 2023)
87.9% — James Harden (Nov. 30, 2019)
84.4% — Karl Malone (Jan. 27, 1990)
81.7% — Kyrie Irving (March 15, 2022)
80.4% — Lillard (Feb. 26, 2023)
79.7% — LeBron James (March 3, 2014)