The 2016-17 NBA season has been defined by triple-doubles. Russell Westbrook is chasing Oscar Robertson in his attempt to not only pass The Big O for the most triple-doubles in one season, but to also become the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season. And then there’s James Harden, who has 20 triple-doubles this season, and has set new records of his own for both 40-point and 50-point triple-doubles in one season. Draymond Green even recorded the first triple-double without points. Furthermore, the entire league has combined to set a new record for the most triple-doubles in the NBA in one season.
But thus far, no one has achieved a mythical quadruple-double. In fact, there have only been four such recorded performances in NBA history (The NBA didn’t count blocks or steals until the 1973-74 season, so it was not possible for players to record a quadruple-double before that season), and one of them occurred 27 years ago today, on March 29, 1990.
In 40 minutes of action, Hakeem Olajuwon made history during the Houston Rockets’ matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, as the big man recorded just the third quadruple-double in NBA history. Olajuwon scored 18 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked 11 shots, and dished out 10 assists in the Rockets’ 120-94 victory.
Four years later, David Robinson would record the fourth -- and last -- quadruple-double in NBA history. Since Robinson recorded his quadruple-double in 1994, no one in the NBA has achieved the feat.
