The golden boy has gone and done it. At just 19 years and 84 days old, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey has just become the youngest player to record a triple-double. To put that into perspective: an Aussie kid younger than the Harry Potter franchise has just managed to etch his name alongside some of the greatest athletes that the sport has ever seen.
Eclipsing the mark set by LaMelo Ball last season, Josh Giddey became one of 4 players in NBA history to score a triple-double as a teenager.
A triple double, for those unaware, is when a player is able to score 10 or more in 3 of the 5 major statistical categories – points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks – in a single game. In a 95-86 loss against the Dallas Mavericks yesterday, Giddey finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists
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This game saw Josh Giddey tie another record set by King James and Zach LaVine, with his 14 assists being the most recorded by a teenager. Only a few years ago, James actually held Giddey’s record as the youngest player to record a triple-double at 20 years and 20 days. Now, the leaderboard looks like this:
- Josh Giddey (19 years, 84 days)
- LaMelo Ball (19 years, 140 days)
- Markelle Fultz (19 years, 317 days)
- Luka Dončić (19 years, 327 days)
- Lonzo Ball (20 years, 15 days)
- LeBron James (20 years, 20 days)
“It’s cool, the individual stats, but a win is always better than individual stats for me. I’ve said if I’m zero-zero-zero and we win I’m happier than if we have a triple-double and we lose,” Giddey said.
“Growth comes with experience and learning. I made progress more mentally than physically. I’m learning every game and I’m happy where I’m at.”
Josh Giddey is currently ranked fifth to take out rookie of the year honours. Averaging 10.8 points, 6.1 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game as the second-youngest player in the entire NBA, it’s safe to say that the kid is just special. While the game has seen plenty of prodigious players come up over the years, the fact that a 19 year old Aussie kid is making NBA history is just fucking cool.
