NBA: 5 Craziest triple-doubles of all-time

A triple-double is recorded when a player gets to double-digits in three of the five statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks). It is one of the most prestigious achievements for a player and is an indication of their overall ability to change the game.

Throughout the history of NBA, we have seen some really dominant players who messed on the court and recorded triple-double. Oscar Robertson leads the league in the list of All-time triple-double leaders with 181.

In this article, let us take a look at five of the craziest triple-doubles that were ever recorded in the NBA.

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#5 Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is one of the best passers in the history of NBA

Stat line: 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists

Rajon Rondo is known for his ability to dish out dimes like it is nothing. He has a terrific game-sense and is one of the best passers in the history of NBA. He led the league in assists 3-times (2012, 2013, 2016) and also won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008.

He is known for his ability to stuff the stat-sheet and recorded 41 triple-doubles in the NBA. 10 of those have come in the playoffs. Last year, he played a key role in the Pelicans' incredible season. Rondo received a lot of praise for his performance in the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans swept the Blazers although they were the underdogs before the start of the series.

Rondo's most memorable triple-double came against the New York Knicks in 2012 at the TD Garden when he recorded 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists to take the Celtics home. He came close to having a rare 20-20-20 game and had himself a night. The stadium was filled with loud chants of 'Rondo' and to this day, it is one of his most iconic stat lines.

#4 Draymond Green

Draymond Green had 10 steals on the night

Stat line: 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals, 4 points and 5 blocks

Draymond Green is one of the best defenders in the league today and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017. The 3-time NBA All-Star is a 3-time All-NBA First Defensive Team member and is also the voice of the Golden State Warriors.

Green is known for his selfless game and does whatever the teams want him to do without caring about stats. This has shown tremendous results for the team as they won three titles. He can score points, swat, dish out dimes, collect rebounds and is known for his all-around ability to affect the game in multiple dimensions.

Draymond shocked the world when he recorded an iconic triple-double in 2017 with just 4 points. He had 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals to get the triple-double. Green also had 5 blocks on the night and filled the stat sheet.

#3 Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the greatest to ever play

Stat line: 29 points, 18 rebounds, 11 blocks, 9 assists and 5 blocks

Hakeem Olajuwon is widely considered as one of the greatest centres to ever touch a basketball and was known for moving in the post effortlessly which got him the nickname "The Dream". He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. Those are the only years when Houston won an NBA title.

He was also known for his defensive skills and was a 2-time back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year. Hakeem was also a 5-time All-Defensive First Team and 4-time All-Defensive Second Team member and caused nightmares to the opposing offences.

He had a legendary game against the Golden State Warriors in 1990 when he recorded 29 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks to beat the visitors in a blowout fashion. He fell one assist short of a quadruple-double, to go along with 5 steals.

#2 Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq had 15 blocks in this game. Credit: 12up.com

Stat line: 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocks

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest big men to play the game of basketball. O'Neal controlled the game and dominated the opponents single-handedly. He won the NBA title four times and was the Finals MVP on three of those occasions.

After playing in the NBA for 19 years, he was named an All-Star for 15 years and is one of the tallest and heaviest NBA players of all-time. Shaq used his body to score points, pull down boards and block anything that comes in his way.

He had one of the craziest triple-double while playing for the Orlando Magic against the New Jersey Nets during the 1993-94 season when he recorded 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocks. Yes, you read it right. He had 15 blocks on the night. Despite Shaq's heroics, the Magic only won by 2 points.

#1 Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain had one of the most iconic stat lines ever

Stat line: 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists

Without a shadow of a doubt, Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest centre of all-time. During his NBA career, he posted figures that no one ever expected to see and annihilated the opposition teams with his height and strength.

He was the scoring champion for his first four years in the NBA and what is more ridiculous is he also led the league in rebounds in those four years. In the 1961-62 season, the Big Dipper totalled 100 points in an NBA game, a record that is still on his name.

Albeit he was known for putting monster numbers every single night, his most iconic stat line was against the Detroit Pistons during the 1967-68 season when he scored 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists to defeat the Pistons. Several NBA players came close to having a 20-20-20 game but could not achieve it.