T.J. McConnell, first Sixer bench player in NBA history to record a triple-double

Former Arizona Wildcat and fan favorite T.J. McConnell made history Monday night against the New York Knicks by becoming the first bench player to record a triple double.

Another Wildcat sets a NBA record! This time it was T.J McConnell of the Philadelphia 76ers. He recorded a triple-double in a 108-92 win over the New York Knicks. McConnell became the first Sixer player in the history of the NBA to do this, off the bench!

In 37 minutes played, he scored 10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and six steals. Just imagine if he was a starter – that’s scary to think about! After a performance like this, he deserves to be a starter. End of discussion.

McConnell was only four away from recording the infamous quadruple-double, which has only been done by five others in NBA history (in chronological order): Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon (twice), and David Robinson.

This isn’t the first award McConnell has earned in the NBA. He received the best NBA teammate for 2017 by his peers and the Charles Barkley award this past season. Both awards recognizing that unique quality of being a great teammate and being most liked by the media. This guy has the whole package!

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In McConnell’s previous game against the Los Angeles Clippers, he dropped 17 points, eight assists and two steals. For the season, he has averaged 7.4 points per game, 4.5 assists per game and 1.2 steals per game. Remember, McConnell is doing this all of the bench, starting in only 1 game out of 47 played. That’s ridiculous!

What makes him such a valuable and impact player are the things he does that don’t show up on the stat sheet: hustle plays, his unselfishness, court awareness, intensity and energy.

A prime example of this was in tonight’s game. After McConnell steals the ball, he had a wide open layup, but decides to lay it off to his teammate Justin Anderson for the easy slam:

Heading into the 2017-18 season, the spotlight was all on Markelle Fultz and how the rest of the team would be impacted by inserting him into the starting line up. Rumors that this would be it for McConnell surfaced on social media. Fast forward 54 games into the season and he has only played four games this season due to a shoulder injury. As a result, other players have had to step up and McConnell has done that.

There shouldn’t be any argument that the way he has played this season, that he should be a top contender for the sixth man of the year! Not only has he brought that excitement back to Philly, McConnell also has helped his team to a 29-25 record and seventh overall in the eastern conference.

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At Zona Zealots and Wildcat fans all over the globe, we couldn’t be more happier for T.J. and the Philadelphia 76ers. What you represent not just for the game of basketball, but as an individual is special. Bear Down!