At just 23 years old, Josh Giddey is doing something most NBA players only dream of: etching his name alongside the immortals of basketball. The Chicago Bulls’ new franchise star has forced the league to take notice, entering conversations usually reserved for the gods of the game — Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Oscar Robertson. And the stats backing up his meteoric rise are nothing short of shocking.
Only six players in NBA history have recorded 20 triple-doubles in their first five seasons: Jordan, Magic, Bird, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd… and now Giddey. That’s right. Five Hall of Famers, and a 23-year-old phenom who is still scratching the surface of his potential. He’s already done what legends did over entire careers, and he’s just getting started.
What makes Giddey’s feat even more surreal is his age. He is simultaneously the youngest, second-youngest, third-youngest, and fourth-youngest player to ever record a triple-double — a statistical club all his own. Numbers like these don’t just pop up in highlight reels; they rewrite history.
Giddey’s career triple-double count currently sits at 23. To put that in perspective, that’s already more than Kobe Bryant (21), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (21), Chris Webber (21), and Charles Barkley (20) — all Hall of Famers. He’s done in a handful of seasons what legends took decades to achieve. And it’s not just a fluke of circumstance; his dominance is consistent, precise, and jaw-dropping.
Among active players, only Russell Westbrook, Luka Dončić, and Nikola Jokić have managed to hit 20 triple-doubles in their first five years — and all three are virtually locks for the Hall of Fame. By putting Giddey in this elite company, the Bulls’ young star has made it clear: the future of basketball is not only in good hands, it’s in historic ones.
Giddey’s style of play is as remarkable as his numbers. Standing 6-foot-8 with a playmaking vision that rivals seasoned veterans, he orchestrates the floor like a conductor while still being a scoring threat in his own right. His ability to impact every facet of the game — passing, rebounding, scoring — makes him a nightmare matchup for opponents and a dream for Bulls fans.
The comparison to legends isn’t just hype. It’s statistical fact. Giddey is producing at a pace that mirrors some of the greatest players in NBA history, and yet, he’s only 23. If he continues on this trajectory, the stories we’ll tell about him decades from now may rival those we tell about Jordan, Magic, and Bird.
In a league that constantly looks for the next superstar, Josh Giddey isn’t just next — he’s already here, and he’s rewriting the rules of what it means to be great at an age when most players are still finding their footing. For Bulls fans and basketball historians alike, one question looms larger than ever: just how high can Josh Giddey climb before history finally takes notice?
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