Like Victor Wembanyama, they flirted with the quadruple-double

The more the weeks pass, the more it seems inevitable to see, one day, Victor Wembanyama succeed in quadruple-double in the NBA, as he accumulates statistics with ease, both in terms of points and rebounds, passes, blocks and interceptions. Obviously, rather than limiting themselves to quadruple-double, some people dare to talk about… quintuple-double!

Tuesday evening, on the floor of the Nuggets, leaders of the Western Conference and reigning champions, “Wemby” in any case allowed himself to come close to 10-10-10-10 as rarely, compiling no less than 23 points, 15 rebounds, 9 blocks and 8 assists (in 34 minutes)! A little over a month after signing a… “five-by-five”!

Thirty years that David Robinson has been waiting for a successor…

Ultimately, it is clearly not unthinkable to imagine Victor Wembanyama imitating Nate Thurmond (1974), Alvin Robertson (1986), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990) and David Robinson (1994), the only four players who, to date, and since 1973, have accumulated at least 10 units in four different (positive) statistical categories.

After 1994, however, several of them came close to joining this ultra-closed circle but, each time, they lacked either rebounds, interceptions or blocks, or even downright… points for one!

A jumble of these players who have not come far from achieving this legendary quadruple-double since 1994.

— Alonzo Mourning (1995): 26 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 9 blocks
— Clyde Drexler (1996): 25 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 10 steals
— Chris Mullin (1997): 19 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 7 steals
— Vlade Divac (1997): 10 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 7 blocks
— Mookie Blaylock (1998): 14 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals
— Chris Webber (1999): 25 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 9 blocks
— Kevin Garnett (1999): 22 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 steals
— Mike Bibby (2000): 14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 7 steals
— Shaquille O'Neal (2001): 28 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 blocks
— Ron Artest (2002): 24 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 steals
— Tim Duncan (2003): 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, 8 blocks
— Andrei Kirilenko (2006): 15 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 8 blocks
— Chris Paul (2009): 33 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 7 steals
— Chris Paul (2009): 27 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, 7 steals
— Rajon Rondo (2011): 6 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 8 steals
— Michael Carter-Williams (2013): 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 9 steals
— Anthony Davis (2015): 36 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 9 blocks
— Ricky Rubio (2015): 9 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 8 steals
— Draymond Green (2017): 4 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals
– Joel Embiid (2022): 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 blocks
— Victor Wembanyama (2024): 23 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 9 blocks

A very, very perilous mission

The final word goes to Nate Thurmond and Hakeem Olajuwon, two of the four players who managed to record a quadruple-double during their respective careers, and who testify to the difficulty of this accomplishment, unheard of for 30 years.

“ The reason why it is so difficult to achieve a quadruple-double is that it requires a player to dominate the game on both ends of the court, without being too selfish to reach the quota of assists, without committing fouls or having too big a gap to stay on the field, while taking enough risks to counter and steal enough balls » commented for example the late Nate Thurmond, author of 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks in October 1974.

“ It's nothing more and nothing less than the hardest thing for a basketball player to accomplish. I have immense respect for those who were able to achieve this. When you think about it, it's crazy. » will add Hakeem Olajuwon, author of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks in March 1990.

The good news for Victor Wembanyama is that, even if he says he does not make it a priority, he seems to have the right profile for the quadruple-double, with his size, his mobility, his agility, his altruism and his talent…

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.