SIMMONS S TEALS PIECE OF HIS TORY

BEN Simmons has guided the Philadelphia 76ers to their first win of the regular season with a triple- double that made Australian basketball history and placed him in the NBA record books alongside greats Oscar Robertson, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.

The 21- year- old from Melbourne, in his fourth NBA game, was superb with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in yesterday’s 97- 86 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Andrew Bogut, Luc Longley, Patty Mills, Andrew Gaze and the growing list of Aussie NBA players have never achieved a triple- double.

Simmons, a 208cm point guard, appears on track to be Australia’s first NBA superstar. He came close to triple- doubles in his first three games but just fell short of making double figures in the assists column.

Simmons shrugged off the personal accolades and focused on his team’s maiden win.

“It feels great that we won,” he said. “Our team played well together and we played the right way. ‘ I’m just happy we got our first one.”

Simmons achieved a double- double, 17 points and 10 rebounds, late in the third quarter against the Pistons to match O’Neal’s record doubledouble effort in the centre’s first four games as a rookie for the Orlando Magic in 1992.

Only two other players, Robert- son and Art “Hambone” Williams, have achieved triple- doubles in their first four games and they happened in the 1960s.

Simmons also became the first player to achieve the feat in Detroit’s new Little Caesars Arena and was the first 76ers rookie since Michael Carter- Williams in 2014 to post a triple- double.