Tracy McGrady has placed Russell Westbrook’s historic 20-20-20 performance above some of the NBA’s most memorable scoring explosions, calling it the greatest individual performance he has ever seen.
“Like, I know Kobe had 81, Bam had 83. I seen Luka hit 70. I seen Donovan Mitchell hit 70. I seen Book hit 70. But the 20-20-20 to me probably the greatest individual performance I’ve seen out of a player,” McGrady said on Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.
Westbrook’s performance came on April 2, 2019, when he recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 119-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He became only the second player in NBA history to reach at least 20 in all three categories, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists in 1968.
Westbrook needed his 20th rebound to complete the historic line and secured it with 41 seconds remaining. He finished the game shooting 8-of-23 from the field, including 2-of-9 from three-point range, while adding three steals and posting a plus-24 rating.
The performance was particularly notable because Westbrook’s impact extended across every major statistical category. His 21 assists directly reflected his role as Oklahoma City’s primary creator, while his 20 rebounds represented a significant contribution on the glass from a 6-foot-3 guard.
The game also came during one of the most statistically productive periods of Westbrook’s career. He was on his way to averaging a triple-double for the third consecutive season and had already established himself as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles by the time of his retirement.
Westbrook officially announced his retirement on August 12, ending an 18-season career. He finished with 209 regular-season triple-doubles, 27,176 points and 10,351 assists, ranking 14th and fifth all-time in those categories, respectively.
His résumé also includes the 2017 MVP award, nine All-Star selections, two scoring titles, three assists titles and a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds across 1,301 regular-season games.
