Caitlin Clark has quickly become a household name in the WNBA, dazzling fans with a playing style reminiscent of Stephen Curry. Her seemingly limitless long-range three-pointers and her ability to thread the needle with pinpoint assists have turned her into a playmaking wizard and the best show in the WNBA. Since bursting onto the scene last season, Clark has dominated the assist category.
As a rookie, she shattered records-dishing out 19 assists in a single game against Dallas (despite the loss) and racking up 337 assists over the season, surpassing Alyssa Thomas’s record from of 316. This year, she has maintained her momentum, averaging 8.9 assists per game to lead the league, tied with Thomas’s. But her latest feat? That’s one more for the history books.
Caitlin Clark Hits 400 Assists Faster Than Anyone in WNBA History
In a recent showdown against the Las Vegas Aces, the Indiana Fever lost to A’ja Wilson’s squad, 89-81. However, Clark made it a night to remember. She finished with 19 points and 10 assists, five of which came in the first quarter. Her second assist of the game sealed the deal, pushing her career total to 400. Clark became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach that milestone in just 48 games, leaving Ticha Penicheiro’s 55-game record from 1999 far behind. Teresa Weatherspoon, who reached 400 assists in 64 games that same year, is now a distant second.
Clark’s numbers are jaw-dropping. In those 48 games, she’s had only five games with five or fewer assists (all as a rookie) and 16 games with double digits-one out of every three games. Now in her second season, she’s tied with Courtney Vandersloot for the most games with 20+ points and 10+ assists (10) in league history. Watching her sling highlight-worthy passes is entertaining, but the Fever need more than flash. They’re stuck at 6-7, hovering mid-table and aiming to beat last year’s 20-20 finish.
Also, Clark’s shooting has not been great in the Fever’s last two games. Both were losses, with an abysmal 1-17 from the three-point line. She needs to improve her performance to give the team a better chance of winning their next games, which are on Tuesday in Seattle against the 9-5 Storm, followed by a home game against the LA Sparks, before playing in Dallas on Sunday.
Paige Bueckers Steps Up as the Next Big Thing
While Clark is tearing through records, Paige Bueckers is hot on her heels. The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Bueckers has stormed into the WNBA. She became the fastest player ever to score 200+ points and record 50+ assists in just 11 games. Before Sunday’s overtime loss to the Mystics, she had already scored 180 points and had 58 assists in her first 10 games.
She finished that game with 20 points and seven assists, including a clutch three-pointer to force overtime with 11 seconds left. This pace surpassed the previous record of 12 games set by Clark, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and Andrea Stinson. The stage is set for a must-see clash when Bueckers meets Clark for the first time this Friday, June 27, in Dallas. Two young stars and record-breakers will be on display-basketball fans are in for a treat.
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