In the NBA, steals became an official statistic in the 1973-74 season, and Jerry West set the standard with 10 steals on December 7, 1973.
The Los Angeles Lakers great also had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists in that game against the Seattle SuperSonics. But it wasn’t enough for the Lakers, who lost 115-111.
Nearly 50 years later, West’s single-game total remains near the top of the list.
There have been 22 other instances of players recording 10 steals in a game, including four by Alvin Robertson of the San Antonio Spurs between 1986 and 1990. A guy named Michael Jordan did it once, too.
The NBA single-game record is 11 steals.Spurs forward Larry Kenon did it the first time, tormenting the Kansas City Kings on Dec. 26, 1978.
Who did it the second time? Kendall Gill of the New Jersey Nets against the Miami Heat on April 3, 1999.