TORONTO – As Jonathan Mogbo clocked out of the game for the last time, Scotiabank Arena announcer Herbie Kuhn announced that he was the first NBA rookie to complete a triple-double this season and the entire Toronto Raptors bench swarmed the 23-year-old forward.
Mogbo had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes of play — the most of any of Toronto’s starters — as the Raptors routed the Charlotte Hornets 126-96 on Wednesday.
It wasn’t just the first triple-double of Mogbo’s NBA career, but his first at any level of competitive basketball.
“It was a lot of stuff going on, but it was great to see everybody happy,” he said. “I was short, shy a couple times in college. I never got it.
“To finally get it in the NBA, I wouldn’t expect it. Just blessed and thankful for my teammates.”
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Mogbo actually gave his teammates’ celebration of his triple-double equal weight to actually accomplishing the feat.
“I wouldn’t say either was a better feeling,” he said. “Just seeing my teammates happy for me at the end of the day is great, putting smiles on peoples’ faces, it felt good.”
Head coach Darko Rajakovic said the reaction on the Raptors’ bench was a tribute to how well respected Mogbo is.
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“People that are inside the organization know how much work he put in this year and are really proud of the kid,” said Rajakovic, who opened his post-game news conference by asking reporters “so are you going to ask me about JMo’s triple-double?”
“It was great to see him go out there and perform that way. But also it was great to see his teammates, how they celebrated with him and they were happy for him tonight.”
Mogbo was averaging 5.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and two assists over 19.6 minutes per game heading into Wednesday’s home finale. He’s seen his usage climb, however, as Rajakovic rested his starters with Toronto eliminated from the playoffs and the regular season winding down.
“It’s been a great journey,” said Mogbo. “Just every day, trying not to take anything for granted.
“It’s a blessing to be here at the end of the day. So just take it day by day.”
Toronto selected Mogbo in the second round, 31st overall, of this past summer’s NBA draft. Mogbo played his final year of NCAA basketball at the University of San Francisco where he mainly played as a centre.
The Raptors have had him on the wings, including on Wednesday night, as Rajakovic tries to round out his game.
“I think it’s very important for him not to distinguish those two positions,” said Rajakovic. “I think sometimes it’s like overthinking, ‘Oh, I’m now doing something different.’
“He still needs to be in pick-and-rolls, setting screens, and rolling. He still needs to run the floor. He still needs to be very effective cutting to the rim. He just needs to translate his game from position five to position four and just to be himself out there.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
