Sabonis becomes seventh player in NBA history with 77 double-doubles originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Kings forward Domantas Sabonis was a double-double machine during the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
In the Kings’ final regular season game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center, which Sacramento won 121-82, Sabonis capped off his dominant campaign the only way he knew how: with a historic double-double.
Sabonis had 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists against Portland, his 77th and final double-double of the regular season.
His 77 double-doubles made him more than just the league leader by a national mile. Sabonis became the seventh player in NBA history to reach that number and is the first to do so since Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame selection Moses Malone (1978-79).
Domantas Sabonis recorded his 77th double-double of the season, becoming just the seventh player in NBA history to reach that total in a season and the first to do so since Moses Malone in 1978-1979. pic.twitter.com/cAk0eXKZV0
– NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 14, 2024
Sabonis is the fifth player to record at least 70 double-doubles in a season since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976.
Sabonis finished the regular season averaging 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 35.7 minutes per game. Admirably, he also appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his eight-year NBA career.
While leading the NBA with 77 double-doubles, adding to his unreal career total of 333, Sabonis also led the NBA with 26 triple-doubles.
Behind Sabonis was Nikola Jokić, a two-time NBA MVP and center for the Denver Nuggets, who finished second in doubles (68) and triple doubles (25).
Sabonis will enter Tuesday’s highly anticipated NBA Play-In Tournament matchup between the Kings and Warriors of the Golden State to 7pm at Golden 1 Center with momentum.
Sabonis recently maintained a streak of 61 consecutive double-doubles, which ended April 9 in Sacramento’s 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. It was the seventh-longest double-double streak in NBA history and the longest in Kings history.
“I mean, it’s amazing,” Sabonis said after his streak ended. (h/t Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press.) “You get mentioned with some of the big names. At the end of the day, you’re out there trying to play your game, go out and win. That’s my job as a big man: to get rebounds and finish.”
The 9th-seeded Kings (46-36) will need another double-double from Sabonis when the 10th-seeded Warriors (46-36) come to town for another game to win or go home.
But for now, Sabonis should be proud of having had a phenomenal second full season in Sacramento.
