A quadruple-double is a single game performance reaching double digits in four of the five main statistical categories, one of the rarest feats in the sport.
The quadruple-double adds a fourth column to the triple-double, and the sport nearly runs out of players who have done it. In official NBA history the feat has been recorded only four times: by Nate Thurmond in 1974, Alvin Robertson in 1986, the only one built on steals, Hakeem Olajuwon in 1990, and David Robinson in 1994. That is the complete list, unchanged for more than three decades.
Its rarity is structural. Points, rebounds, and assists can be chased by a dominant player, but reaching ten steals or ten blocks requires the opponent to keep supplying opportunities, which is why the defensive quadruple-double is close to a lottery event. Near misses are famous in their own right; Olajuwon was initially credited with one in an earlier 1990 game before a review removed an assist, a correction the record book still notes.
The theoretical fifth level, double digits in all five categories, has never been recorded in an NBA game. For quizzes, the quadruple-double is pure forensic gold: four names, four dates, and a definition strict enough that unofficial or pre-official-statistics claims, including games from before steals and blocks were counted, do not enter the book.
In use"Only a handful of players have ever recorded a quadruple-double in an official game."