Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
The rookie scoring record is the latest that Caitlin Clark has broken in her historic debut season in the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark just keeps on making history. In Sunday’s WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings, Clark set a new record for most points in a season by any rookie in league history. The record was broken with a deep three-pointer in the third quarter, increasing Clark’s total scoring output for the season to 746 points (and counting).
The previous record was held by Seimone Augustus, who scored 744 points in her 34-game rookie season in 2006.
The single-season rookie scoring record is the latest in a long list that Caitlin Clark has broken this season. Notably, she set a new mark for most assists in a single game by any player in league history with a 19-dime effort in July. Last week, she broke the record for most assists in a single season by any WNBA player, rookie or otherwise, surpassing Alyssa Thomas’s mark from last year.
After setting the single-season assist record on Friday, Clark reflected on just how many records have been set this season. Earlier in the week, A’ja Wilson set a new mark for most points in a single season, while Angel Reese set a record for most rebounds in a season
“I think it definitely speaks to the whole entire year and how historic it has been for this league and how great the basketball has been for the league, and we’re not even into the playoffs yet,” Clark said. “I think that’s what’s so fun about it, is you’re just going to continue to see records be taken down, but also I think really good basketball, and that’s why it’s been so fun to watch.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of other records Clark has broken in her first year in the WNBA:
WNBA single-season record in assists
First triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history
Franchise record for most three-pointers in a single season
Franchise record for most double-doubles in a single season
First rookie in WNBA history to record 400 points, 100 rebounds and 150 assists in a season
Most three-pointers by a rookie
Most 15-point, 5-assist games in a season
Most turnovers in a single season
With two games left in the regular season, several other records are within striking distance, including the record for most three-pointers in a single season. That one was set by Sabrina Ionescu, who hit 124 three-pointers in 2023. Entering Sunday’s game, Clark had hit 116 three-pointers.
Since the Olympic break, Clark has averaged 23.4 points on 43.4% shooting. It’s a massive leap from her pre-Olympic break numbers; prior to August, she averaged 17.1 points on 40.5% shooting.
