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)

PHOENIX (AP) — When Jennifer Rizzotti arrived at UConn as a player in 1992, the expectations around the school, as well as the women's basketball landscape, were much different than they are today.

Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. UConn hadn't yet hoisted a national championship trophy. There wasn't nearly the same pressure to win that the Huskies face now. And women's basketball as a whole hadn't seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now.

By the 1994-95 season, Rizzotti and fellow UConn standout Rebecca Lobo helped the Huskies go undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women's basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.

“There was no thought that we were going to be undefeated,” Rizzotti said. “We didn't have that internal pressure. We didn't have external pressure. That's the last time a UConn team could play that way. Think about that: 1995 is the last time a UConn team could play without that kind of pressure.”

The Huskies have since won 12 national titles, reached the Final Four 25 times and won 30 conference titles. They've been ranked 653 weeks in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, and Auriemma is the winningest coach in women's college basketball history.

As conversations around the Final Four in Phoenix center around how the women's game has grown, the Huskies, who are competing for the second straight national title, have been at the forefront.

“You could tell that everything was aligned for this program to reach that pinnacle," said Rizzotti, who is currently the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. “I don't think anything of us would have predicted that it would have gone on as it had.”

Rizzotti joined former UConn players Stefanie Dolson, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Shea Ralph, now Vanderbilt's coach, on a panel Friday at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Earlier Friday, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) commissioner Rich Ensor and AP women’s poll founder Mel Greenberg spoke on a panel moderated by college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli on the growth of women's basketball at the college and pro levels.

“I think women's basketball has never been more popular,” said Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005. “I think schools that are succeeding are really seeing, feeling and believing in the (return on investment). And UConn's a case in point.”

Ackerman sees the investment that the schools in this year's Final Four — UConn, Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — have made in their programs to reach back-to-back national semifinals as a reflection of the growing importance of pouring resources into women's hoops.

“And that's done a world of good,” she added. “Programs like South Carolina, UCLA, you see what they're doing for their campuses. The investment is paying off in terms of the brand and engagement with the community and school reputation.”

Even as women's sports are drawing record crowds and WNBA players are set to make more money than ever, Ensor sees much more room to capitalize on this current growth.

“It has been about breaking down barriers, and they still exist,” Ensor said. “We marvel at what's happened, but we still recognize there's a lot more that's to come.”

AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience: https://apnews.com/https:/apnews.com/projects/arizona-state-fan-poll-experience/

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

FILE - Connecticut's Breanna Stewart, left, drives to the basket as Cincinnati's Maya Benham, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

From left, Debbie Antonelli, Val Ackerman, Rich Ensor and Mel Greenberg sit on a panel during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, listens during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts after his team defeated Notre Dame in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)