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Sacramento Kings star center Domantas Sabonis recorded his 54th consecutive double-double on Monday, marking the longest streak since the NBA/ABA merger (1976-77). Upon doing so, the three-time All-Star offered high praise to the former record holder, ex-Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Kevin Love.
During the 2010-11 season, Love averaged 20.2 points and a league-leading 15.2 rebounds per game. He double-doubled in 64 of 73 games, including a then-post-merger record 53 straight contests (Nov. 22, 2010-March 11, 2011).
Love’s record stood for just over 13 years before being broken by Sabonis during Sacramento’s 108-96 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The 27-year-old secured his 54th consecutive double-double following a rebound and putback with 5:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Domantas Sabonis has double-doubled in an NBA-high 67 contests this season while playing in all 71 of Sacramento’s games. His historic double-double streak began on Dec. 2. With 11 games remaining for Sacramento, he can extend his record to as high as 65 consecutive games by the end of the season.
Following his record-setting night, Sabonis was overwhelmed with gratitude. He also raved about Love, noting he should eventually be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It’s awesome. It’s an honor to be on a list like that,” Sabonis said. “Kevin Love's a future Hall of Famer, and to surpass his record is awesome.”
Love is in his 16th season and second with the Miami Heat. It remains to be seen if he will receive a Hall of Fame induction upon retirement. However, he has several notable career accolades.
In addition to being a one-time rebounding leader, the 35-year-old is a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA team selectee. He also starred on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA title team.
While Sabonis surpassed Love’s post-merger double-double record, he is far from threatening the pre-merger record. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain double-doubled in a whopping 227 consecutive games from 1964 to 1967.
So, Sabonis would need to extend his streak by 173 games to catch up to Chamberlain.
After surpassing Kevin Love’s double-double streak, Domantas Sabonis makes triple-double history
Shortly after surpassing Kevin Love’s double-double streak, Domantas Sabonis made triple-double history on Monday.
Sabonis recorded his 10th assist on a dish to teammate Keegan Murray underneath the basket with 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. The assist gave him his league-leading 25th triple-double of the season (11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on 60.0% shooting).
Sabonis became just the fifth player in NBA history to achieve the milestone, joining Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain.
Notably, all four have won at least one MVP, while Domantas Sabonis wasn’t even selected to the West All-Star team this season.
However, with his statistical milestones racking up, Sabonis continues to prove why voters may have been incorrect to leave him off their All-Star ballots.
Through 71 games, Sabonis is averaging 19.8 ppg, a league-leading 13.7 rpg, 8.3 apg, 0.9 spg and 0.6 bpg on 60.8% shooting. Meanwhile, the Kings (42-29) are sixth in the West.
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