Australian point guard Josh Giddey has put his name up with one of the greatest to ever do it after tying six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen for second on the all-time triple-double list for the Chicago Bulls.
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.| New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Giddey recorded his 15th as a Bull in the team’s 120-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks after putting up 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
The 23-year-old now only sits behind the greatest of all-time in Michael Jordan, who recorded 28 triple-doubles with the franchise during his career, which included two three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.
“It sounds good,” Giddey said post-game when asked about his name being alongside the likes of Pippen.
“I mean, you know me, I’m all about winning, and that’s number one priority.
“But any time your name is mentioned with people like that, it’s an honour, and you don’t take it for granted, so as I said, my teammates make my job easy. They put me in positions to be successful.
“But winning is always number one.”
Giddey also tied his career-high for three-pointers made in a game with five with the win also snapping an 11-game losing streak for the Bulls.
“This has kind of been lingering for a while and I think we’ve put ourselves, put good steps forward the last 11 games, even though we haven’t won, I thought we’ve been building in the right direction,” he said.
“Tonight, obviously, to get this win in front of this crowd was unbelievable.”
Chicago’s woes continue vs. Portland | 02:20
Giddey, who should have been an NBA All-Star this season, also spoke about his connection with big man Nick Richard and how the Bulls had seven players in double figures as well as 35 assists.
“I mean, (Richard’s) a lob threat, so I can put the ball kind of anywhere in that vicinity and he’ll go and get it, obviously, we’ve had time to build that connection now,” Giddey said.
“I know he’s on the rim, so I’m trying to put it up there for him and he does the rest.
“It’s what we’re trying to be trying to get back to, sharing the ball with multiple guys in double digits, limit the turnovers, limit the offensive rebounds and I think when we get back to that identity, you see what happens, nights like tonight are possible.
“We’ve got confidence in everybody in this locker room, when we play to our identity, I think we’re a tough team to compete against.”
This article first appeared on basketball.com.auand was reproduced with permission.