By Giannis Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Research by Utkan Sahin/ info@eurohoops.net
During his years with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Nikola Vujcic became the first – and to date only – player in the annals of the competition to have earned a triple-double, a feat he accomplished twice! He collected 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists on November 3, 2005 and posted 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists a year later, on November 30, 2006. Until someone else keeps him company, the double-double remains the closest we’ll get. Combinations vary and have even extended to a combination of rebounds and blocks, which Stojan Vrankovic accomplished with 15 of the former and a record 10 rejections for PAF Bologna in February 2001. Nevertheless, points-rebounds and points-assists are the most common double-doubles. So which players have collected the most?
Teodosic on top, Calathes has variety
Milos Teodosic started off the year with a double-double (20 points and 11 assists against Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul) and has since continued at a fine pace to lead the league with 7. He could have had more with another assist or 2 on several occasions, but also escaped a different kind of double-double when he collected 21 points and 9 turnovers against Fenerbahce Istanbul in Moscow.
What’s striking about the Serbian guard is that he’s the only player in the history of the EuroLeague to lead the list of double-doubles and not play in one of the big man positions! Over the years, big men have dominated the lists with many more double-doubles than the guards.
Brose Bamberg’s Nicolo Melli is second for the season with six, all of which have been of the point-rebound variety. Fenerbahce’s Ekpe Udoh is third with five double-doubles. Anadolu Efes Istanbul forwards Derrick Brown and Tyler Honeycutt, Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz big man Johannes Voigtmann and Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul center Ante Zizic are next, each with four double doubles this season. It is noteworthy that Nick Calathes of Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens’s is the only player this season to have a double-double with points and rebounds and a double-double of points and assists, of which he has two.
From Efes to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Teodosic may lead the individual list, but even together with three from teammate Kyle Hines, they do not have enough to push CSKA Moscow to the top of the charts for teams. Efes leads that race with 12 thanks to four apiece from Brown and Honeycutt and two each from Thomas Heurtel and Bryant Dunston.
Every team boasts a player who has collected a double-double this season, but when it comes to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, that list is pretty short. Milan Macvan, who posted 19 points and 11 rebounds against CSKA in Moscow in Round 17, has the lone double-double for the Italian champs.