LeBron James tallies 100th career triple-double; moves up to 11th all-time on steals list but LA Lakers lose in Memphis

LeBron James created history on Thursday night. The 36-year-old has become only the fifth player in NBA history to tally 100 career triple-doubles.

James achieved this distinction when he recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the LA Lakers in their matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. This was his first triple-double of the 2021-22 NBA season. However, it was a bitter-sweet night for the 17-time All-Star since the Lakers found themselves on the losing side at the end of the contest.

With the 95-108 loss to Memphis, the LA Lakers now have a 13-13 regular-season record.

LeBron James’ Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook leads the all-time triple-doubles board with 189 TDs. Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd are the other three names who have more than 100 triple-doubles to their credit.

James has aggregated 64 triple-doubles in 11 seasons with Cleveland, nine TDs in the four years he spent with the Miami Heat and 27 in the three-plus seasons he has been with the Lakers.

---

LeBron James moves into 11th place on all-time steals list as LA Lakers commit 22 turnovers in loss to Memphis Grizzlies

In addition to the triple-double record, LeBron James also hit another significant milestone in his 19-year NBA journey. He moved into 11th place on the all-time steals list, overtaking Karl Malone to now rank just outside the top 10.

James was tied with Malone with 2085 steals before the matchup with Memphis began. He finished the night with four steals, taking his career tally to 2089 steals at the end of the contest.

LeBron James now needs 24 steals to overtake Alvin Robertson (2112 career steals) and move into the top 10 on the all-time steals list.

However, both records for James couldn’t prevent the LA Lakers from crashing to their 13th loss of the season. The Lakers committed 22 turnovers in the game, with James (five turnovers) and Russell Westbrook (six) combining to tally half of the lost ball possessions.

The LA Lakers' loss came after their emphatic 117-102 win against traditional rivals the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. LeBron James had said after that contest that it “was one of the best 48-minute games that we’ve had so far.” Unfortunately, despite taking an early lead in the first quarter against Memphis, the Lakers were not able to build on their solid win against Boston.

The purple-and-gold franchise will now travel to Oklahoma City to play their 27th regular-season game within 24 hours on Friday.