I could not be happier for him. Congratulations to Russell Westbrook on a magnificent season!

Westbrook’s averages are similar to mine in both scoring and assists (a point higher in scoring, a digit lower in assists). What’s more, he leads the league in scoring by a comfortable margin at 31.9 points per game.

He’s also matched another 55-year-old record of mine by becoming only the second guard to lead his team in rebounding. He’s leading the Thunder with 10.7 rebounds per game and is in the NBA’s top 10 in that category.

This season alone, as of April 4 there were 110 triple-double games in the NBA, far surpassing the previous single-season record of 78 set in 1988-89.

For its first 27 years, the NBA kept records for points, rebounds, assists, field goals attempted and made, and free throws attempted and made. They didn’t start tracking blocked shots, steals or turnovers until 1973-74. (Otherwise Bill Russell and/or Chamberlain would be far and away the leaders in blocked shots.)

It wasn’t until Johnson was anointed as the all-time triple-double leader that someone said, wait a minute, we had better go back and check the records. And that’s when the records showed that I had set single-season and career records while also being the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season.

As an athlete in a team sport, your goal first and foremost is to win games. Records are kept for those games.

Records are nice to have and they’re part of your legacy, a hallmark of whatever imprint you made on your particular sport.

If someone breaks your record, that means they’ve reached a level of excellence that is quantifiable in some respect, and you have to give them respect for doing so.

Westbrook’s journey to tie or break my single-season triple-double records has been remarkable, and I’m happy to congratulate him for doing so. The journey has been great for Westbrook, the NBA, the fans and the media.

I admire Westbrook’s all-around command of the game. He is a marvelous athlete who plays with intensity and flair and is exciting to watch. He would have been great in any era.

Another question that keeps popping up is whether Westbrook’s numbers qualify him for MVP status. Should the MVP be based on a player’s individual performance, his contributions to his team’s performance, or how well his team does in the standings?

For example, James Harden in Houston has only half as many triple-doubles as Westbrook, but his team has a much better win-loss record.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, a perennial MVP candidate, had 12 triple-doubles as of April 4, but his team should contend for the NBA championship once again.

1.He took over the offense for the Oklahoma City Thunder after Kevin Durant’s blockbuster departure for the Golden State Warriors as a free agent changed the team’s composition.

2. This season, he beats any other guard in a head-to-head matchup.

3. Most important, he should be rewarded for his outstanding play this season and his career-making individual accomplishments.

If I take pride in my triple-double stats at all, it is primarily because of the players I competed against in setting those records.

Chamberlain, the most dominant player in the history of the game, once admonished a writer, “Don’t ever let them forget how good we were.” Since Chamberlain is no longer with us, I am happy to take up that assignment.

Five years ago, Fran Blinebury at nba.com did a 12-part series on the 1961-62 season called Season of Giants – a most appropriate title. The 1961-62 season was indeed one for the ages.

All things considered, my triple-double stat was only one of many amazing figures in that season of giants.

Playing every minute of every game for the Philadelphia Warriors,and became the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game.

4,000 points. 50.4 points per game. 27.2 rebounds per game. 100 points in a game. Will anyone ever break those records?

Here were six players who averaged 30 points or more that season, the first and only time that’s happened.

Despite all these individual heroics, it was the Boston Celtics, with their combination of defense, rebounding, and a balanced scoring attack, who won their fourth of 11 NBA titles during Russell’s 13-year career. It was Russell who took home MVP honors in 1961-62.

There were 22 Hall of Fame players among the nine teams active at that time, and it was my privilege to play with or against all of them.

When players like Russell and Chamberlain said “there will be no layups tonight,” you took them seriously.

People always want to compare players and eras, but you really can’t. You have to account for such things as minutes played, games played, changes in scoring, and other changes in the way statistics are kept.

So I’m not drawn into comparisons between Westbrook and myself, or his era and my era. I leave that up to the basketball historians to decide.

I know who I played against and what I did, and that’s good enough for me. As far as I’m concerned, my NBA career was defined by being a consummate professional and competing professionally for 14 seasons.

My triple-double season and the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship in 1971 were both highlights of that wonderful career.