The final chapter of an overwhelming statistical season by Russell Westbrook was capped with the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard being named winner of the 2016-2017 NBA Most Valuable Player award.

Westbrook was named MVP after an historic season during which he became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-1962 to average a triple double for an entire season.

In winning he topped a group featuring James Harden (Houston Rockets) and Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs).

The 28 year old during the season led the league in scoring (31.6), was third in assists (10.4) and tenth in rebounds (10.7) per game. He ranked first in PER at 30.7, fifth in Win Shares and ninth in Real Plus-Minus.

Statistically he had a number of monstrous games, including three 50-point triple-doubles, including a career-high 57 against the Orlando Magic, and 54, plus his first career buzzer-beating game-winner, against the Denver Nuggets on the night he notched his 42nd triple-double.

With Westbrook on the floor this season, the Thunder outscored opponents by 3.3 per 100 possessions but were outscored by 8.9 per 100 possessions when he sat, a mark that would’ve made them the worst scoring margin team in the league, by almost two points.

What drove his MVP candidacy over the top was his importance to the team following Kevin Durant’s departure to Golden State and also his ability in clutch-time (last five minutes of a game within a margin of five points) where he led the NBA in points by a wide margin.