Caitlin Clark became the first ever rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double this past week , she's one of just 17 women to achieve the feat at any point in their career in the league.
Clark' s game has immediately translated from college basketball to the pros with the Indiana Fever, who made her the No. 1 overall draft selection. Analysts and fans alike saw her as arguably the most exciting prospect ever to enter the WNBA. So far in her young career, Clark has led a Fever team that has struggled for the past three seasons to be a playoff contender - doing so as the go-to scorer and primary ball-handler.
And on the way to doing so, Clark recorded a triple-double against the New York Liberty , with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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From 1999 up until 2020, only six triple-doubles were recorded in WNBA history. Since then, fans have witnessed 25 triple-doubles - with four this season alone.
What is a triple-double?
When a player is able to have double-digits in three of the different statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals). The most common triple-double is seen when a player has double-digits in points, rebounds and assists.
While they are a regular occurrence in the NBA, with Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double in four separate seasons, it had been extremely rare for a WNBA player to achieve one. This is partially because of shorter game lengths, with 10-minute quarters in the WNBA compared to 12-minute quarters in the NBA.
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Clark had come close to her first triple-double on numerous occasions to begin her WNBA career, regularly scoring and assisting over 10 times. Finally, she reached double-digits in all three categories against the Liberty on July 6.
How many triple-doubles have been recorded in the WNBA?
From 1999 to 2020, only six women had posted a triple-double in one game. Sheryl Swoopes was the first to achieve the stat line, doing so in 1999. The league waited six years to see the next and a further nine years for the third.
But since 2020, 12 women have recorded the stat line on 25 different occasions - with Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas alone having the most with 10.
There have been 31 triple-doubles in WNBA history, with Clark's being the latest and only one from a WNBA rookie.
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