Top 5 NBA Players with most Playoff triple-doubles of all time

For any NBA fans who have somehow missed the definition of triple-double in this era that is full of them, a triple-double is the title given to a player's stat line if they have recorded at least ten in three of the following stat categories: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.

While triple doubles happen a lot in the modern NBA which is operating at its fastest pace in 30 years, they are difficult to come by in the playoffs when teams are zeroed in on every single defensive possession, rebound, and hustle play.

Some players have gone above and beyond to record triple-doubles in the playoffs on many occasions, here are the five players with the most triple-doubles in the playoffs.

Honourable mentions to Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, who each have eight career triple-doubles in the playoffs, and ironically are the only two players to ever average a triple-double for an entire season.

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#5 Wilt Chamberlain - 9

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt has recorded a grand total of nine official playoff triple-doubles, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend that number is accurate. Wilt played in an era when blocked shots weren't recorded, but if they were then he would be the runaway leader of this list; steals and blocks were not recorded league-wide until the 1982-83 season, long after Wilt had retired.

This won't be done for every player, but take a look at Wilt's triple-double stat lines, because they are outstanding. In chronological order (listed by points, rebounds, assists):

30-15-10

37-27-11

16-30-19

24-32-13

20-22-10

29-36-13

16-33-10

10-38-10

12-26-11

Pretty damn impressive, right? Just imagine if they had recorded blocks back then...we would have an undisputed leader in not just playoff triple-doubles, but probably also playoff quadruple-doubles too - I'm sure he would have recorded at least one of those.

The most amazing stat about the nine listed triple-doubles is that seven of them came within 25 days of each other in the 1967 playoffs! Believe it or not, Wilt Chamberlain and his Philadelphia 76ers were NBA champions following this incredible run.

#4 Larry Bird and Rajon Rondo - 10

Larry Legend

How fitting that the two Celtics to make the list should be currently tied on the same number.

Bird produced his ten playoff triple-doubles by contributing at least one in seven different playoff runs. He maxed out with three in 1986, including two in The Finals against Houston. Finding Larry Bird on this list comes as no surprise, as the Boston legend was an all-around superstar who was considered to be off his game any time he wasn't flirting with a triple-double.

Bird's per-game career averages of 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists showcase the threat that he had the ability to record a triple-double in any given game, even a playoff game.

Rondo, playing alongside Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, became an all-time great triple-double threat and carried that reputation into the playoffs with him. Rondo routinely found members of Boston's big three at the peak of their powers and rarely had trouble racking up ten or more assists.

He frequently found the rebounds, but astonishingly it was his scoring that held him back from having more triple-doubles. The Boston champion has a chance to overtake Bird this summer when he will march into the playoffs next to LeBron James on The Lakers.

Charlotte Bobcats v Boston Celtics

#3 Jason Kidd - 11

Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Lakers - Game One

Kidd gets overlooked in this new era of ultra-athletic point guards who dunk on seven-footers, but he was one of the greatest all-around point guards to ever play the game. Kidd was a triple-double machine throughout his career, and that reputation took no rest in the playoffs as he recorded eleven post-season triple-doubles.

Kidd's playoff triple-doubles featured impeccable numbers. The point guard's most outstanding triple-double came against Toronto in the first round of the 2007 playoffs when he totaled 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 19 assists. Magic Johnson and Rondo are the only players to record 20 assists inside a playoff triple-double, and Chamberlain is the only other player to add to that list if the number drops to 19. Kidd is among elite company with his playoff triple-doubles.

Unsurprisingly, ten of Kidd's triple-doubles came as a member of the New Jersey Nets, a team Kidd led to The Finals twice, while the one extra came as a 27-year old Phoenix Sun.

#2 LeBron James - 23

Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks

King James is second among playoff triple-double achievers with an incredible 23 next to his name, more than double Jason Kidd at number three.

James, like Bird, averages close to a triple-double nearly every season of his career, so it's never surprising when he reaches the qualifiers and achieves the feat, but it's always impressive.

He first recorded a playoff triple-double against Washington in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Having been 21 for just a few months, LeBron tore the Wizards apart as he finished the game with 32 points, eleven rebounds and eleven assists.

James has reached his triple-double achieving peak in the latter half of his career. After recording twelve triple-doubles throughout his first ten playoff series - which accounts for his first stint in Cleveland and his full Miami tenure - LeBron piled on eleven more throughout his next four-year journey with his hometown Cavs. How many will he add in the playoffs this year? Can he top this list by the end of his career?

#1 Magic Johnson - 30

Magic Johnson fires a one-handed pass

Is it any surprise to see 6'9" point guard Magic Johnson at the top of this list? The greatest point guard of all time had no trouble scoring or dropping dimes, and his height helped him secure rebounds even when he had to battle against tall centers.

If by some miracle, LeBron never reaches Magic's record, then it will stand for decades to come. Magic not only had to be one of the greatest triple-double machines of all time to set this record, but he also had to be a regular feature deep into the playoffs, which he always was. Magic played at least 14 playoff games for eight consecutive years between '82 and '89, and he reached at least 14 playoff games ten total seasons throughout his career.

Once he was there, getting the stats was no problem for Magic, who averaged 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 12.3 assists for his playoff career. Nine of Magic's 30 playoff triple-doubles came in The Finals against his fiercest rivals such as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Magic recorded all of these in a short-lived career before being forced into an early retirement.