LeBron Did Not Have the First Triple-Double in Men's Olympic Basketball History
By Jason McIntyre
Next up: Argentina, in a rematch from Monday’s testy affair. The game is Friday at 4 pm EST. The other semifinal pits Russia against Spain at noon EST.
LeBron’s triple double was believed to be the first in men’s Olympic basketball … not so fast, my friend. According to John Grasso:
"On July 27, 1976 Aleksandr Belov of the Soviet Union had the first one. He had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a game against Canada."
If the name Aleksandr Belov rings a bell, that’s because he scored the “winning” basket in the fixed 1972 Olympic gold medal game. He died in 1978, either from a heart attack or “not of natural causes.” [via Larry Coon]