Luka Dončić, a player well-acquainted with triple-doubles in his NBA career (already ranking seventh all-time with 82), recently etched his name in EuroBasket history by recording his first such feat while representing Slovenia. This extraordinary achievement places him among a very select group of players in the competition`s storied past.
On Sunday, Dončić delivered an exceptional performance in Slovenia`s commanding 86-69 victory over Belgium, tallying 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. This officially made him the fourth player in EuroBasket history to achieve a triple-double. It`s worth noting that this official count does not include Croatia`s Stojko Vranković, who recorded a triple-double with blocks in 1993, prior to blocks being formally tracked as a statistic for such records.
Regardless of the exact historical count, Dončić has now joined an exclusive club of EuroBasket legends, which notably includes former Chicago Bulls star Toni Kukoč, a three-time NBA champion alongside Michael Jordan.
EuroBasket Triple-Double Club
| Player | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
|
Luka Dončić |
Slovenia |
2025 |
|
Mateusz Ponitka |
Poland |
2022 |
|
Rareș Mandache |
Romania |
2017 |
|
Toni Kukoč |
Croatia |
1995 |
|
Stojko Vranković* |
Croatia |
1993 |
*Stojko Vranković`s triple-double in 1993 was unofficial as blocks were not a recorded statistic for this type of record at the time.
Despite this monumental triple-double, Dončić`s shooting accuracy was not at its peak during Sunday`s game, as he made only 9 of 23 attempts from the field and 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. Nevertheless, his game-high 26 points and prolific playmaking meant he was either scoring or assisting on an impressive 51 of Slovenia`s 86 points in just 30 minutes on the court.
Through three games, Dončić is dominating the tournament, averaging 33 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 9.7 assists. He currently leads EuroBasket in both scoring and assists and ranks 13th in rebounding. Any prior concerns about his health, following an injury scare in a warm-up game against Latvia earlier in the month, have been definitively put to rest by these stellar performances.
Beyond his triple-double, Dončić also set two other significant records. At 26 years and 184 days old, he became the youngest player to reach 400 EuroBasket points since Tony Parker in 2007 (who was 25 years, 122 days). Furthermore, he became the fastest player in 21st-century EuroBasket history to accumulate 400 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists, achieving this feat in just 19 games.
After a challenging start to their EuroBasket campaign, which included defeats to Poland and France, Slovenia`s crucial victory over Belgium has temporarily elevated them to third place in Group D. The top four teams from each group (comprising six teams) will advance to the knockout stage. Slovenia is set to conclude their group stage matches with games against Iceland on Tuesday and Israel on Thursday.
