LeBron James becomes the oldest player to have a triple-double in NBA history

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Deep in the 23rd season of the longest career in NBA history, LeBron James is still dropping triple-doubles — on the Dallas Mavericks and on Father Time.

James became the oldest player to have a triple-double Thursday night, accomplishing the feat at 41 years and 44 days old during the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-104 victory over the Mavs.

James had 28 points and 12 assists when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 2:06 to play. He got a standing ovation from the Lakers' crowd when he checked out moments later with his 123rd career triple-double, the fifth-most in NBA history.

James broke the record held for the past 22 years by Karl Malone, who recorded his final triple-double for the Lakers when he was 40 years and 127 days old.

“I guess I’m more appreciative of moments like this in my career, understanding where I’m at, at the later stage of my journey,” James said. “You definitely take it in a little bit more.”

While mere statistics and longevity records don’t do much for James at this stage in his historic career, he respects triple-doubles as a particularly good measure of the high level he is maintaining on the court.

Although he has missed 18 games this season due to injury, James was no charity case when he was chosen for his 22nd All-Star Game this weekend, and he proved it by dominating the Mavs while Luka Doncic was out with a hamstring strain.

“I think what it represents is pretty cool — the fact that you can go out and have an impact in three facets of the game,” James said. “Rebounding. The assists, obviously, are what I love the most. Being able to get my guys involved, throughout my career I’ve always loved that more than anything. And being able to put the ball in the basket, that’s part of this game as well. So I think what it means, to be able to have your hand in three facets of the game, making an impact in those three, that’s pretty cool.”

James’ play has remained largely outstanding when healthy this season, and he repeated his belief that he could continue almost indefinitely at this level. James entered this game averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds, and the Lakers are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite playing only 10 games with James, Doncic and Austin Reaves simultaneously healthy.

But the top scorer in NBA history hadn’t had a triple-double since Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. That day is better remembered for the late-night breaking news of the seismic trade that brought Doncic to the Lakers.

Malone had held the record as the oldest player with a triple-double since he had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Nov. 28, 2003, during his final NBA season. James recorded the next 15 triple-doubles on that list, and he repeatedly came close to setting the record over the past year, but didn’t quite reach it until the Lakers’ final game before the All-Star break.

With Doncic out when his former team visited, James was aggressive and active from the opening tip as he returned from his own injury absence during the Lakers’ loss to San Antonio on Tuesday.

After dancing gleefully in pregame warmups and screaming his way down the tunnel when he took the court, James put up 14 points and six assists in the first quarter alone against Dallas. He factored into the Lakers’ first 23 points of the game.

James had 18 points, eight assists and four rebounds by halftime. He topped double digits in assists during the third quarter, but he didn't come out of the game during the fourth quarter before he grabbed the three rebounds necessary to get the triple-double.

He almost had it a few possessions earlier, but Reaves beat him to a board — and got an earful from the rest of the Lakers.

“Everybody on the team yelled at me,” Reaves said. “I don't catch myself looking at the stats during the game, so we went to the bench and everybody let me know about it. He didn't, but everybody (else), and I looked at him and said, ‘Shoot, my fault.’”

After his streak of 20 straight All-Star Game appearances ended due to injury last year, James will be back in the midseason showcase Sunday at Intuit Dome. James is ineligible for inclusion on his 22nd All-NBA team this season because of his missed games, including the first 14 of the season while dealing with sciatica.

James has 152 career triple-doubles when the playoffs are included.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, celebrates with center Jaxson Hayes after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31), forward Daniel Gafford (21) and forward P.J. Washington defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James smiles as he tries to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

MILAN (AP) — Olympic podiums are where the world’s best athletes win gold. But beyond the spotlight of the 2026 Winter Olympics, dozens of children on Feb. 9 received snowflake-shaped medals of their own in a Milan church — a reminder that they, too, are champions in life.

“This is not about changing lives through elite performance,” said Valentina Piazza, project manager for CSI for the World, which operates outside Italy to provide sports programs to children in developing countries. “It’s about how sport helps young people learn from being together.”

Piazza’s work is part of the Tour of Sports Values, an initiative led by the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan during the Games. With workshops, exhibitions, athlete testimonies and sports activities, the initiative seeks to promote excellence, friendship and respect.

The program is anchored by a series of letters written by Milan’s Archbishop Mario Delpini, who has drawn on those values in recent years as part of preparations for the Games.

It aims to involve about 13,000 young people from schools, parish youth centers and sports clubs across the archdiocese through Feb. 20.

The Tour of Sports Values kicked off on Feb. 9 at the Church of Sant’Antonio, near Milan’s Duomo.

Dozens of children sat quietly on the benches of the Roman Catholic church rebuilt in the late 16th century. After a brief introduction to the program, they met Giordano Bortolani, a basketball player who came up through the youth system of Olimpia Milano, a professional basketball club, and has played in Italy’s top and second divisions.

“Since becoming a professional athlete, I often go around talking to kids,” said Bortolani, who has also engaged in activities organized for people with disabilities within programs of Milan’s Catholic Church.

“With the Winter Olympics happening here in Milan, it’s all about Olympic values,” he added. “The values of sport, and of life as well.”

Behind him hung banners showcasing graphic designs created by students in their final year of high school, highlighting Olympic-inspired principles.

The works interpret those themes by linking past and present, using the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as a common framework.

“The idea is to rethink sport not only as competition or performance, but also as a vehicle for ethical principles such as cooperation, respect, solidarity and inclusion,” said Matilde Napoli, deputy head of the school.

Initiatives like the Tour of Sports Values unfold largely in oratories, an Italian model of parish spaces where children and teenagers gather after school for sports and recreational activities.

The program is supported by the foundation of Milan’s oratories, known by its Italian initials, FOM, which coordinates these programs across the Milan archdiocese.

During the Winter Olympics, those everyday settings are being used to connect the Olympic spirit with daily life, turning familiar church spaces into classrooms for sport, reflection and community.

“Oratories are places where young people can come together,” said Napoli. “They offer opportunities for social interaction through sports, recreational and leisure activities.”

Aside from teachers, volunteers and athletes, FOM and Catholic leaders rely on organizations like CSI and local sports clubs to bring faith and sports together with youths. According to Massimo Aquino, president of CSI, Milan’s archdiocese oversees almost 1,000 oratories.

“The most beautiful thing is that, for generations, Italians have grown up learning the values of life in oratories, chasing after a ball,” Aquino said. “From this experience of sport born in oratories, many champions have emerged and grown.”

Among them, Aquino added, are Antonio Rossi, one of Italy’s most celebrated canoeists and a five-time Olympic medalist, including three golds, and sprinter Filippo Tortu, who was part of Italy’s gold-winning 4x100-meter relay team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Bortolani himself shares this background. His first encounter with sport, he said, was at age five in an oratory. “Church was part of it,” Bortolani said. “Sometimes, between training sessions, they would take us to pray.”

Later he married, joined Olimpia Milano and became a professional athlete. But oratories have never been far from his heart.

“There is a beauty in sport itself, but sometimes a young person may be interested in hearing the point of view of an athlete,” Bortolani said. “That’s how it was for me when I was younger.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Children sit inside the Church of Sant’Antonio during an activity linked to the “Tour of Sports Values,” an initiative connected to the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernandez)

Basketball player Giordano Bertolani speaks to children during a values-focused activity at the Church of Sant’Antonio, part of a church-led initiative tied to the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernandez)

Children receive snowflake-shaped medals inspired by the 2026 Winter Olympics during an activity organized by a parish oratory connected to the Church of Santa Eufemia in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/María Teresa Hernandez)