Caitlin Clark has once again etched her name in WNBA history - this time breaking the league’s single-season assist record .
With just under four minutes remaining in Friday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces , Clark dribbled the ball past half court and dished it to guard Kelsey Mitchell, who pulled up from behind the arc and drilled an uncontested three-pointer. The assist marked the star rookie’s 317th dime of the year, thereby setting the new single-season record.
Alyssa Thomas was the previous record holder, recording 316 assists last year over 40 games. Clark, meanwhile, needed only 38 games to surpass the Connecticut Sun forward.
Courtney Vandersloot amassed the third and fourth-most assists in a season back in 2023 and 2019, finishing with 314 and 300 dimes in those years. Chelsea Gray rounds out the top-5 with 291 assists last season.
The record-breaking accomplishment was the lone bright spot for Clark in what was otherwise a poor first half against the Aces. She recorded six assists, but failed to score a single point and amassed three fouls - including a technical for aggressively slapping the hoop base and shouting: “Oh my god.”
Regardless, Clark still has much to be pleased about after pulling off yet another incredible feat during her rookie season. Entering play Friday, she’d already held the record for most assists in a game (19), most 25-point, 10-assist games in a season (five) and most 3-pointers by a rookie (112).
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Clark’s utter dominance is all the more impressive considering this is her first taste of the WNBA. It hasn’t taken long for the 22-year-old to make her presence felt at the professional level, despite Diana Taurasi previously asserting that a significant transition period awaited her once she turned pro.
While speaking to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt shortly after Iowa advanced to their second consecutive NCAA women’s basketball title game, the 42-year-old was asked how the league’s veterans would greet the incoming rookie class featuring the likes of Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others.
“When the college guys come out, they're waiting for them. I mean, Kamilla’s coming, Caitlin’s coming, there's more than just that that are coming. What will the league have in store for them when they get there?” Van Pelt asked.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming. You know, there's levels to this thing. And that's just life. We all went through it,” Taurasi replied. "And you see it on the NBA side, and you're going to see it on this side, where, you know, you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you're going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“Not saying that it's not going to translate, because when you're great at what you do, you're just going to get better. But there is going to be a transition period where you're going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie, and, you know, it might take a little bit longer for some people.”
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