Who is Ticha Penicheiro? Meet the former WNBA star whose rookie assist record was broken by Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark is coming for WNBA records.

The Fever's rookie phenom was a menace in college, smashing historical marks left and right during her time at Iowa. So it comes as no surprise that Clark is breaking records in women's professional basketball as well.

Clark became the new rookie single-season leader in assists , surpassing former WNBA guard Ticha Penicheiro for the mark during Sunday's win over the Storm . There may be some confusion about whether or not Penicheiro's mark was 224 or 225 (WNBA has a history of problems keeping historical data), but regardless, Clark is the new leader with 232 and counting.

"Ticha is somebody that's been very supportive of myself, even since I was in college, and if you watch her highlights, she was definitely a better passer than me," Clark said after breaking the record . "She had way more flair to her game in the way she passed the ball. She would spin around and make these crazy passes. I kind of just run in transition, chuck it up there and hope for the best."

The guard's ability to dish the rock already is elite. Clark has an uncanny ability to find open teammates for open baskets, whether that be in transition, in pick-and-rolls or another offensive strategy.

However, she isn't the first superb passer to come to the WNBA. During her prime, Penicheiro was a constant threat to defenses given her excellent passing abilities.

Here is more to know about Penicheiro and her WNBA career.

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Who is Ticha Penicheiro?

Ticha Penicheiro, born Patricia Penicheiro, is a former WNBA player hailing from Portugal. After playing for Old Dominion in college, she spent the majority of her WNBA career playing for the Sacramento Monarchs.

Sacramento was one of the first teams in the women's professional league but ceased operations in 2009.

During her time in the WNBA, Penicheiro was a four-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA selection. The point guard is considered to be one of the best at her position of all time, ranking third in the league in career assists.

Penicheiro led the league in assists seven times throughout her career, and had the record for most assists by a rookie in a single season before Clark passed her.

Penicheiro won a WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005, the first and only title for the Sacramento team. Injuries forced her to retire after 15 years in 2012, and she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Following her retirement, Penicheiro became a player agent, representing a number of athletes for the On Time Agency.

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Ticha Penicheiro stats

Penicheiro spent 15 seasons playing in the WNBA. During her tenure, she played 12 seasons for Sacramento before the team stopped operations in 2009. The Portuguese guard then went on to spend two seasons in Los Angeles and one in Chicago.

Here is a look at her full stats from her playing days in the WNBA: