Cam Boozer was 19 years and 103 days old when he stuffed the box score against the Portland Trail Blazers. By the time the final buzzer sounded on a 124-103 Memphis win, the Grizzlies’ No. 3 overall pick had rewritten a line in the record book that had belonged to LeBron James for more than two decades.
The previous mark for the youngest forward with a triple-double sat at 20 years and 20 days, set by James during the 2004-05 season. Boozer took it in his fifth NBA game.
He is also now the second-youngest player of any position to reach the mark. Only Josh Giddey, who was 19 years and 84 days old when he posted his first triple-double for Oklahoma City on 2 January 2022, got there sooner.
Efficient from deep in a fifth straight win
Boozer did it efficiently. He shot 4-of-5 from behind the arc on a night when Memphis outscored Portland 66-45 in the second half and buried 42.9% of its threes as a team.
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Isaiah Stewart added 18 points off the bench, Cedric Coward chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals, and Zach Edey and GG Jackson both finished in double figures. The Grizzlies moved to 5-0, joining Houston as the only unbeaten teams in the league.
The NBA’s own account of the night framed Boozer’s feat slightly differently, calling him the youngest frontcourt player ever to log a triple-double. By that measure, he overtook Victor Wembanyama, who was 20 years and 6 days old when he did it for San Antonio on 10 January 2024.
Ja Morant’s return cut short
The game was billed as Ja Morant’s first trip back to Memphis after the June trade that ended his seven-year run with the Grizzlies. He scored 14 points and handed out three assists in 23 minutes before leaving in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury.
Boozer, the son of former 13-year NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, arrived in Memphis after a freshman season at Duke that produced the Naismith Player of the Year award. Through his first five NBA games he is averaging 15.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 32.4% from the field.
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