Defensively, there are two types of stats that we look at when measuring players. We often look at steals and blocks when measuring a player’s defensive magnitude. While blocks are often used more for the post players, steals are the stat that allows guards to stick out. Every so often, a forward has made its way into the top of the charts in steals, so it’s a tad more well-rounded compared to blocks, which are more likely to happen from a player with height.
- Jerry West – 1 Game
- Larry Steele – 1 Game
- Fred Brown – 1 Game
- Gus Williams – 1 Game
- Eddie Jordan – 1 Game
- Johnny Moore – 1 Game
- Fat Lever – 1 Game
- Ron Harper – 1 Game
- Michael Jordan – 1 Game
- Kevin Johnson – 1 Game
- Mookie Blaylock – 1 Game
- Michael Finley – 1 Game
- Brandon Roy – 1 Game
- Draymond Green – 1 Game
- Lou Williams – 1 Game
- T.J. McConnell – 1 Game
- Larry Kenon – 1 Game
- Kendall Gill – 1 Game
- Clyde Drexler – 2 Games
- Alvin Robertson – 4 Games
When looking at the league’s top performers in steals, there are 20 players that have finished with at least 10 steals in a game. Finishing with a double-double is somewhat easier for a post player given his ability to snag rebounds. Recording a steal is more complicated. A guard finishing with a double-double of points and assists or points and steals is not very common. Defensively speaking, that is why it has happened to 20 players. For two players, it has happened once, while another accomplished this legendary feat four times.
Here are the 20 players with at least 10 steals in one game.
Jerry West – 1 Game
Date: December 7, 1973
Stats: 27 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
The Lakers saw West play one of his finest games, but it was not enough to pull out the victory. The SuperSonics overcame West’s non-traditional double-double with 29 points and 23 rebounds from Spencer Haywood to win the contest 115-111. The SuperSonics finished with 25 turnovers as a team as West corralled 10 of those by himself.
Larry Steele – 1 Game
Date: November 16, 1974
Stats: 12 Points, 11 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Only a handful of players have finished with a quadruple-double in a game. Steele was just one assist away from joining that elite company. In 44 minutes of action, Steele had an exceptional performance to help the Trail Blazers defeat the Lakers 112-99. Steele’s triple-double, on top of 48 combined points from John Johnson and Geoff Petrie, paved the way. Turnovers were not calculated for this game.
Fred Brown – 1 Game
Date: December 3, 1976
Stats: 29 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
The SuperSonics had a perfect balance of offense combined with Brown’s defense to win a game over the 76ers 121-112. Three players in the starting lineup finished with over 20 points, including Brown’s 29 points that led the team. The 76ers were careless with the ball. Maybe Brown was just that good. Brown finished with 10 steals as the 76ers committed 32 turnovers as a team.
Gus Williams – 1 Game
Date: February 22, 1978
Stats: 31 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
At the time, the SuperSonics already had a player that had reached 10 steals in one game. Gus Williams wanted to join the company, as Fred Brown was still a member of the team. Williams led the team in scoring as the SuperSonics defeated the Nets 94-83. On top of his defense, Williams shot 13 of 20 from the field.
Eddie Jordan – 1 Game
Date: March 23, 1979
Stats: 13 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 assist, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
It wasn’t Jordan’s best night shooting, as he finished 6 of 15 from the field, but he had a great enough night to finish with a double-double. It wasn’t enough as the 76ers defeated the Nets 110-98 as Julius Erving finished with 26 points to lead Philly. The 76ers shot 10% better than the Nets, so the turnovers caused by Jordan were all for not.
Johnny Moore – 1 Game
Date: March 6, 1985
Stats: 16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
It was as close as it could get, but Moore’s night was overshadowed by a 119-117 defeat to the Suns. Mike Mitchell scored 36 points for the Spurs, as Moore was flirting with finishing with a quadruple-double. In the end, the Suns had three players on the bench combined for 43 points as Alvan Adams and Walter Davis each chipped in 22 and 21 points, respectively.
Fat Lever – 1 Game
Date: March 9, 1985
Stats: 13 Points, 4 Rebounds, 15 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
The Pacers finished with 32 turnovers, as 10 of those were caused by Lever himself. With a triple-double from Lever, the Nuggets outpaced the Pacers with a 126-116 win. Alex English led the team with 23 points, while Calvin Natt added 16 himself. Between playmaking and defense, Lever was everyone at once.
Ron Harper – 1 Game
Date: March 10, 1987
Stats: 28 Points, 5 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Three assists and Harper would have finished with a triple-double. Instead, Harper finished with 10 of the team’s 15 steals. That includes stealing 10 of the opposing team’s 24 turnovers. In the end, it wasn’t enough, as the 76ers defeated the Cavaliers 100-91 as David Wingate and Charles Barkley ruined Harper’s night by combining for 45 points.
Michael Jordan – 1 Game
Date: January 29, 1988
Stats: 32 Points, 1 Rebound, 4 Assists, 10 Steals, 2 Blocks
The Nets did not stand a chance against the Bulls this night. With a double-double from Jordan leading the way, the Bulls pounded the Nets 120-93. The Nets committed 22 turnovers as a team as Jordan nearly accounted for half of the load. It was just a regular night for Jordan, who would eventually win Defensive Player of the Year this season.
Kevin Johnson – 1 Game
Date: December 9, 1993
Stats: 17 Points, 3 Rebounds, 13 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Having Johnson finish with a triple-double was the cherry on top as the Suns defeated the Bullets 114-95. Charles Barkley led the team with 22 points, while Johnson finished with 13 of the team’s 28 assists and 10 of the team’s 22 steals. The Bullets finished with 28 turnovers, including five from Michael Adams in a tough night of taking care of the ball.
Mookie Blaylock – 1 Game
Date: April 14, 1998
Stats: 14 Points, 8 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
The 76ers nearly spoiled the night. Instead, Blaylock got to celebrate a triple-double on top of a 95-94 win over the 76ers. The Hawks needed 39 points from Alan Henderson to lead the way, but Blaylock finished with 10 of the team’s 18 steals. He finished with exactly half of Philly’s 20-team turnovers by stealing 10 himself.
Michael Finley – 1 Game
Date: January 23, 2001
Stats: 27 Points, 6 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
On a night where there were multiple double-doubles, it wasn’t Finley that got to shine the most. The Mavericks dropped a 114-98 contest as two players from the 76ers had a double-double. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Finley led the way with 27 points and 10 steals. The Mavericks scored a combined 50 points in the second half, which was not enough to keep up with Philly’s 66 second-half points.
Brandon Roy – 1 Game
Date: January 24, 2009
Stats: 22 Points, 5 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 1 Blocks
Roy was an absolute fiend sometimes. Roy led the Trail Blazers with 22 points but also finished with 10 steals and seven assists. He was the only player to score at least 10 points as the Trail Blazers defeated the Wizards 100-87. Roy took advantage of a careless night from Caron Butler, who finished with nine turnovers himself. Of Washington’s 26 turnovers, Roy finished with 10 steals by himself.
Draymond Green – 1 Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIZErP79P2o
Date: February 10, 2017
Stats: 4 Points, 11 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 10 Steals, 5 Blocks
On his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year, Green became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double by not including at least 10 points. The Warriors handled the Grizzlies 122-107 on a night where Klay Thompson scored 36 points. The Grizzlies had a fairly average night taking care of the ball with 18 turnovers, but Green was all over the floor with rebounding, playmaking, and defense. Green took six shots, including missing three shots from beyond the arc, so a quadruple could have happened.
Lou Williams – 1 Game
Date: January 20, 2018
Stats: 31 Points, 2 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Williams was the lead offensive and defensive night, despite the Clippers coming up short to the Jazz 125-113. Williams shot a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line on his way to scoring 31 points. Defensively, Williams recorded 10 of the Jazz’s 20 turnovers. In the end, Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell pushed the Jazz over the hump to a win.
T.J. McConnell – 1 Game
Date: March 3, 2021
Stats: 16 Points, 4 Rebounds, 13 Assists, 10 Steals, 1 Block
The last time a player in the league recorded 10 steals in a game was with McConnell. The Pacers came away with a clutch 114-11 win, but that was not the highlight worth talking about. McConnell scored 16 points, 13 assists, and 10 steals coming off of the bench. It was the first time a player recorded a triple-double off of the bench.
Larry Kenon – 1 Game
Date: December 26, 1976
Stats: 29 Points, 15 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 11 Steals, 0 Blocks
There are two players in the history of the league that has recorded more than 10 steals in a game. Both of those players share the NBA single-game record. One of those players featured Larry Kenon, who had a successful night as the Spurs defeated the Royals 110-105. Kenon led the Spurs in scoring with 29 points, but his triple-double also featured 15 rebounds and 11 steals. Kenon finished with 11 of the team’s total 16 steals.
Kendall Gill – 1 Game
Date: April 4, 1999
Stats: 15 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 11 Steals, 2 Blocks
Kenon’s record would stand alone for over 20 years, but Kendall Gill would tie it on this fateful night. In a true defensive battle, the Nets would come away with an 88-77 victory over the Heat. Of the Heat’s 21 turnovers, Gill recorded 11 steals on his way to finishing with a triple-double. Keith Van Horn and Stephon Marbury combined for 48 points as it was a celebratory night for the Nets.
Clyde Drexler – 2 Games
Date: January 10, 1986
Stats: 26 Points, 9 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 10 Steals, 1 Block
Date: November 1, 1996
Stats: 25 Points, 10 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Two players have finished with more than one game with at least 10 steals. One of those players is Clyde Drexler, who did it with two different teams. The first time Drexler recorded 10 steals in a game was when he played for the Trail Blazers in the 80s. The next time, Drexler was playing with the Rockets. As you can tell, Drexler was just one rebound or assist in the two events from finishing with a quadruple-double.
Alvin Robertson – 4 Games
Date: February 18, 1986
Stats: 20 Points, 11 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Date: November 22, 1986
Stats: 30 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 10 Steals, 1 Block
Date: January 11, 1989
Stats: 20 Points, 5 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Date: November 19, 1990
Stats: 16 Points, 3 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 10 Steals, 0 Blocks
Robertson is potentially the greatest player to record a steal. His 2.71 steals per game for his career remains an NBA record. He is the only player in the history of the NBA to have a season where he recorded 300 steals or more, which he accomplished in 1985-86. He is the only player in league history to have more than two games of 10 steals or more. One of those games featured a quadruple, something only Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Nate Thurmond, and Robertson have accomplished.Â
