It was a magical performance by Josh Giddey on Saturday night as he nearly recorded a quadruple-double. The Bulls spoiled LeBron James’ return to the lineup in an easy 146-115 victory. The 22-year-old Giddey put together a remarkable stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists, and eight steals. With two more steals, a quadruple-double would have been his. It continues a recent stretch of superb play by the fourth-year player as restricted free agency awaits him in the offseason. In his last 11 appearances, he is averaging 22.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.7 steals.
If you think a quadriple-double is a rare occurrence, you would be correct. It has been more than three decades since one last happened. It also has happened only four times in NBA history. Here are each of the instances of a player finished with double-digits in four different stat categories in a game.
Every NBA Quadruple-Double After Josh Giddey Nearly Has One
Nate Thurmond, Bulls (October 18, 1974)
The first ever quadruple-double took place a little over 50 years ago (keep in mind that steals and blocks didn’t become official stats until the 1973-74 season). It was accomplished by Nate Thurmond in the Chicago Bulls season opener of the 1974-75 season. The 1985 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee finished the outing with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks. Unfortunately, the performance came in a losing effort in overtime at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. The first ever recorded quadruple-double is also still the only one that saw the player not earn a win.
Alvin Robertson, Spurs (February 18, 1986)
It took more than a decade for the next quadruple-double to happen. The feat was accomplished by four-time All-Star Alvin Robertson while playing for the San Antonio Spurs. It came during a Spurs 120-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The final numbers for the three-time steals champ consisted of 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals. This is the only quadruple-double in NBA history that has steals (rather than blocks) as one of the four double figure marks.
Hakeem Olajuwon, Rockets (March 29, 1990)
Known as one of the best centers of all-time, the 35th anniversary of Hakeem Olajuwon’s quadruple-double is nearing. His Houston Rockets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks by the final score of 120-94 on that day. ‘The Dream’ had an historic final box score performance of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks. Just like during that contest, the 1993-94 NBA MVP certainly rejected his fair share of shot attempts during his career. His 3,830 blocks are the most in NBA history.
David Robinson, Spurs (February 17, 1994)
Known as ‘The Admiral’, David Robinson was quite the physical specimen during his playing career. He manhandled the Detroit Pistons over 31 years ago in a Spurs 115-94 win. In what is still the most recent quadruple-double, Robinson totaled 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks. It helped secure San Antonio their 11th consecutive victory, a streak that would stretch to 13 games. The following season, Robinson would be named the league’s MVP.
Giddey Free Agency
With Josh Giddey still young (turns 23 on October 10) and performing out of his mind of late, it will be interesting to see what kind of new contract heads his way in the offseason. In the meantime, his Bulls are almost certainly taking part in the Play-In Tournament once the regular season concludes.
Photo credit: © Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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