On October 18, 1974 the legendary kingpin Nate Thurmond made NBA history by officially becoming the first player in history to sign a quadruple-double. In September 1974, he was transferred to the Bulls and for his very first game at Chicago Stadium against the Hawks, he signed an incredible performance: 22 points at 8/12, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks and 1 interception in 45 minutes for a success of his team in overtime 120-115! Not bad for a first game in his new colors.
During this same season Thurmond did not go far from a second quadruple-double since on December 3 in a victory against Portland he compiled 9 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists and 8 blocks.
It took more than 11 years and Alvin Robertson for a second player to sign a quadruple-double. It was with San Antonio against Phoenix: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. Then Hakeem Olajuwon in 1990 and David Robinson in 1994 followed.
Note that interceptions and blocks have only been counted in the NBA since the 1973-74 season, and there is no doubt that players like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar et Jerry West have also achieved such a performance. For example, in Game 1 of the 1967 Conference Finals, a video game, Wilt Chamberlain compiled 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks. However, the 12 blocks were not counted.
Note that the performance of Thurmond, who died 5 years ago, was not filmed, but here are some images from his career