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On Thursday night, Memphis Grizzlies rookie star Cameron Boozer put on a show, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a big 124-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. With that game, he officially inked his name in the history books as the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Boozer did it at just 19 years and 103 days old, needing only 28 minutes of playing time to get the job done. He shot 6-of-10 from the field, made four three-pointers, and helped the Grizzlies start the season with five straight wins. Not a bad start for the No. 3 overall pick who was still playing college basketball at Duke earlier this year.
Triple-doubles have definitely become more common in today’s NBA, especially with players handling the ball all over the court and grabbing rebounds across different positions. But getting a triple-double before turning 21 is still very rare, and only five players have ever done it as teenagers.
This list features some of the greatest players in league history, former No. 1 picks who changed their teams, and a few interesting names whose careers took different paths after their big nights.
With Boozer joining the group, let’s count down the 10 youngest players to record a triple-double in NBA history, looking at the games that put them on the list and what happened afterward.
Lamar Odom was barely two months into his rookie season when he got his first career triple-double, and if we are being honest, it was one of the roughters shooting nights you will ever see for a milestone game. The Los Angeles Clippers lost 122-100 to the Houston Rockets, while Odom struggled through a tough 2-of-13 shooting performance.
Yes, he made only two field goals across 42 minutes of action. But Odom was never just about scoring points. He fought hard for 13 rebounds, passed the ball for 10 assists, and became one of the youngest players ever to reach double figures in three major stats.
At 20 years and 54 days old, Odom was already showing why the Clippers drafted him fourth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. Standing at 6-foot-10 with the ball-handling skills of a point guard, the court vision of a playmaker, and the rebounding skills of a power forward, Odom played a style that was unusual for his size at the time.
Back then, most big forwards were not expected to start the offense, but Odom could bring the ball up the court and create chances without needing a traditional point guard. He finished his rookie season averaging 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 43.8% from the floor, along with 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks a game to earn All-Rookie First Team honors.
While the Clippers were not very good back then, Odom was a bright spot. His versatility became his main strength, even when he wasn’t scoring 20 points every night. He went on to win two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and took home the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011, proving that his unique skills could help championship teams win.
During the 2017-18 season, when the Dallas Mavericks were changing their roster, Dennis Smith Jr. gave fans one of the most exciting rookie performances of the year. In a 128-120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Smith played a fantastic game.
The No. 9 overall pick scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 10 assists while shooting an efficient 8-of-12 from the field. He played so well that he even hit five of his seven three-point shots to help Dallas win their third game in a row.
At just 20 years and 34 days old, Smith became the youngest player in Mavericks history to record a triple-double at the time, and their first rookie to do it since Jason Kidd in the 1994-95 season.
There were big expectations for Smith in his first year. He was an athletic point guard who could get past defenders quickly and shoot from outside with confidence. He finished his rookie year averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 69 games. While his shooting percentages were a bit low (39.5% overall and 31.3% from deep), his overall numbers were promising.
Later, the team changed direction. The next summer, the Mavericks drafted Luka Doncic, and Smith was eventually traded to the New York Knicks in the trade for Kristaps Porzingis. Over time, injuries and new roles turned him into more of a defensive guard than the high-scoring player Dallas first imagined.
It almost sounds strange to read that it took LeBron James until his second professional season to get his first career triple-double, especially with all the amazing stats he put up over his long career.
Yet, on January 19, 2005, James finally reached that milestone in a close 107-101 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals, shooting a strong 11-of-16 from the field. At 20 years and 20 days old, James broke the old record to become the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Unlike some of the other high-shooting or messy games on this list, LeBron played with great efficiency. He made 68.8% of his shots, turned the ball over only twice, and played nearly 44 minutes to help the Cavaliers win on the road.
This was the season when James started turning into one of the best players in the NBA. He had already won Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, but his second year was a big step forward on offense. He finished the 2004-05 season averaging 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, proving he could do everything well before turning 21.
That night in Portland was not a one-time thing. Just three days later, LeBron came back and had another great game with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Golden State Warriors. Doing that back then, when games were lower-scoring and defenses were tough, made it even more impressive.
We all know what happened next. James became one of the greatest basketball players ever, winning four championships and four MVP awards. His first triple-double might feel like a long time ago, but it was the first real sign that he could control every part of a basketball game.
There was a lot of media attention surrounding Lonzo Ball when the Los Angeles Lakers picked him second overall in 2017. Between his great passing, his unusual shooting form, and everything happening around his family, every game he played became big news.
So when he recorded his first career triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks, the media reaction was huge. Ball finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in a 98-90 loss, beating LeBron’s age record by just five days. He also added three steals and three blocks, showing that his defense was just as important as his passing.
His shooting was surprisingly good that night, too. Ball made seven of his 12 shots from the field and went 3-of-5 from three, which was great to see after he struggled with his shot early in the season.
The Lakers lost the game, but Ball was easily their best player. He pushed the pace, grabbed defensive rebounds to start fast breaks, and helped run the offense.
Through his first 13 games, scoring had been difficult for him, which made this complete game feel even better. His passing translated to the NBA right away, but this was his first game where everything worked well together. He finished his rookie season averaging 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, making the All-Rookie Second Team.
While injuries later stopped him from becoming the player people expected from the No. 2 pick, his passing and defense remained high-level skills. Still, getting 13 assists and 12 rebounds as a young rookie showed why the Lakers liked him so much.
Victor Wembanyama has the most unusual triple-double on this list, and it has almost nothing to do with how many points he scored. On January 10, 2024, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 130-108, and Wembanyama finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. That sounds normal until you realize he played only 21 minutes. Crazy.
The No. 1 overall pick became the youngest player in Spurs history to get a triple-double, doing it just six days after his 20th birthday. Even better, he did not commit a single turnover during those 21 minutes.
While the Spurs were rebuilding that season, Wemby was growing into their star player. He finished his rookie year averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game, winning Rookie of the Year.
That night against Detroit wasn’t even his weirdest stat line of the year. Just a month later on February 12, he had 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks against the Toronto Raptors, joining the rare group of players who get a triple-double using blocked shots instead of assists.
That is what makes Wembanyama different from almost everyone else: he can reach double figures in points, rebounds, assists, or blocks. Boozer’s recent games have moved Wembanyama down to sixth in age, but his first triple-double remains one of the most efficient games ever played.
Luka Doncic was already having a great rookie season when he got his first career triple-double in January 2019. The Mavericks lost 116-106 to the Bucks, but Luka finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming just the second teenager in NBA history to do it at the time.
The funny thing is that Luka wasn’t happy with how he played. He shot only 6-of-17 from the field and said later that he would have preferred winning the game over getting the triple-double. That showed how high his standards were even then.
Doncic came to the NBA after winning EuroLeague MVP in Europe with Real Madrid, so he didn’t play like a rookie at all. He already knew how to run an offense against tough defenders. His passing and rebounding worked right away, and the Mavericks made him their main playmaker.
During his rookie season, Luka averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 72 games, becoming one of the best first-year players in recent history. He recorded eight triple-doubles that year, and his first against Milwaukee was just the start.
Just six days later, he scored 35 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists against the Raptors, setting another age record. The Mavericks eventually built their whole offense around him. Looking back, an 18-point triple-double might look small compared to the huge games he has now, but at the time, he showed he was just getting started.
Markelle Fultz’s rookie season in Philadelphia was one of the strangest we have seen from a No. 1 overall pick. The 76ers drafted him first in 2017, expecting him to be their future point guard next to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. But shoulder problems hurt his shooting form, and he missed 68 games while recovering.
That is why his first triple-double was such an important moment. On April 11, 2018, Fultz recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 130-95 win over the Bucks, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do it at 19 years and 317 days. He broke Lonzo Ball’s record by 63 days in the final regular-season game of his rookie year.
The best part of that night was that Fultz looked comfortable running the offense again. He didn’t need to hit three-pointers to help, and his passing created easy shots for his teammates. Given everything he went through with his shoulder, it was a good end to a tough year.
While his career later took a different path, leading to a trade to the Orlando Magic, that night remains a cool part of history. Fultz proved that getting a historic record doesn’t always guarantee an easy career, but his hard work earned him a permanent spot in the record books. His record stood until January 2021.
LaMelo Ball showed why the Charlotte Hornets picked him third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft right away. Just 10 games into his career, he had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks, helping the Hornets win 113-105 and becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double.
He played efficiently, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and setting new personal highs in points, rebounds, and assists. Two nights earlier, Ball almost got a triple-double against the New Orleans Pelicans with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. That game also featured his older brother, Lonzo, who used to hold the youngest triple-double record himself.
What made his triple-double more impressive was that Ball was still coming off the bench at the time. He later joined the starting lineup and finished his rookie season averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, winning the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award.
Ball’s record stood for almost a year before Josh Giddey broke it in January 2022. Still, needing only 10 games to do what many veterans never achieve shows how talented he is.
This is the exact reason we are updating this list. Boozer has played only five NBA games, and he is already ahead of LeBron, Luka, LaMelo, and Wemby on the list of youngest triple-double players.
The Grizzlies beat the Trail Blazers 124-103 last night, and Boozer had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in just 28 minutes. He made six of his 10 shots, hit four of five three-pointers, and finished with a +20.
It was a great bounce-back game after some tough shooting nights earlier in the week. Boozer started his career with seven points on 2-of-15 shooting against Utah, then bounced back with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists against Golden State, followed by a 14-and-11 game against Sacramento.
His passing has been the most surprising and fun part of his first week. Boozer is comfortable handling the ball and finding teammates when defenses trap him. He is a strong forward who grabs rebounds, but he also has the court vision to create without forcing his own shots.
Against Portland, those skills were on full display. The Grizzlies had eight players score in double figures, and Boozer led the team in assists, helping Memphis control the game and improve to 5-0.
He also broke a few records. At 19 years and 103 days, Boozer became the youngest player to record a triple-double in a win and the youngest frontcourt player to do it, passing Wembanyama. He also needed only five games to get there, joining players like Oscar Robertson and Ben Simmons who got a triple-double in their first five games.
The No. 3 pick looks like a great addition for Memphis. If his shooting stays consistent, he will quickly become one of the top choices for Rookie of the Year.
The Australian guard was just 19 years and 84 days old when he recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists against the Mavericks on January 2, 2022, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to produce a triple-double. Josh Giddey also added four steals, though the OKC Thunder lost 95-86.
It was an impressive game because he had just returned after missing three games due to league health rules. He shot 7-of-16 from the field and made three of his five three-pointers, running most of the offense.
The Thunder weren’t competing for a championship that season, but they gave Giddey a big role right away after picking him sixth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. His passing was already a huge strength. At 6-foot-8, Giddey could see over smaller guards, push the ball, and find open teammates. His rebounding was also great for a rookie guard.
Giddey finished his rookie year averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, making the All-Rookie Second Team. He recorded several more triple-doubles down the stretch that season.
His career later brought him to Chicago, where he continues to grow as a playmaker, but that January 2022 game remains his biggest individual record, and breaking it won’t be easy. Boozer came within 19 days, and only five players in NBA history have gotten a triple-double before turning 20.
With modern NBA offenses giving young players the ball more than ever, another teenager might join this list soon. But until someone does it at 19 years and 83 days or younger, Giddey keeps the record for the youngest triple-double in NBA history.
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