Current:Home > ScamsCould Caitlin Clark be the WNBA all-time leading scorer? Here's when she could do it -Dynamic Money Growth
Could Caitlin Clark be the WNBA all-time leading scorer? Here's when she could do it
View
Date:2025-04-19 03:10:26
Caitlin Clark broke several WNBA records in her rookie season, but how long might it take for her to break some of the league's coveted career records?
The rookie sensation's season ended in the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs when the Indiana Fever were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun. It may have just been her first year, but Clark is already trending toward having one of the greatest careers in basketball history. Less than a year after she became the NCAA's all-time scoring leader, Clark set the WNBA record for most points in a season by a rookie, most assists in a season and the single-season rookie record for 3-pointers, among several others.
After such a stellar start, it's not crazy to think Clark will eventually become the career leader in stats like points, assists and 3-pointers. But how long would it take for her to do it?
Could Caitlin Clark break WNBA career points record?
In 2024, Clark averaged 19.2 points per game, playing in all 40 regular season games (playoff stats don't count toward career stats). In total, she scored 769 points in her rookie season.
This record is tricky to predict because it all rests on how long the all-time points leader continues to play. The leader is Diana Taurasi at 10,646 points. The Phoenix Mercury legend has played 20 seasons in the league and has yet to announce if she'll return for another one or retire.
In the scenario where Taurasi retires, Clark needs 9,878 points to break the record. If she kept at her current pace of 19.2 points per game, played in every game and the WNBA stays at 40 regular season games, Clark would become the WNBA all-time scoring leader in her 14th season − or the year 2037.
Of course, that accounts for her staying healthy and not missing a game, as an injury would prolong her chase toward the record. If she ups her scoring average and stays healthy, she could accomplish it before then.
Could Caitlin Clark break WNBA career assists record?
In 2024, Clark averaged 8.4 assists per game to achieve a total of 337, a WNBA season record.
The record holder for most assists in a WNBA career is Sue Bird at 3,234. If Clark kept at her current pace of 8.4 assists per game, played in every game and the WNBA stays at 40 regular season games, she would become the WNBA all-time assists leader in her 10th season − or the year 2033.
The caveat for this record is a player is close to breaking Bird's record. New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot is 385 assists away from taking the record, which she is on pace to do in 2026 if she continues to play.
Could Caitlin Clark break WNBA career 3-point record?
In 2024, Clark averaged 3.1 made 3-pointers her game to knock down 122 shots behind the arc, the most in the WNBA this season.
Just like the points record, the 3-pointers made record belongs to Taurasi, who has a total of 1,447. If Taurasi retires and Clark kept at her current pace, played in every game and the WNBA stays at 40 regular season games, she would break the record in her 12th season − or the year 2035.
veryGood! (677)
Related
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Democracy activist Agnes Chow says she still feels under the Hong Kong police’s watch in Canada
- Democratic support for Biden ticks up on handling of Israel-Hamas war, AP-NORC poll says
- Did you get a credit approval offer from Credit Karma? You could be owed money.
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- What grade do the Padres get on their Juan Soto trades?
- Nearly $5 billion in additional student loan forgiveness approved by Biden administration
- Was 44 too old to be a new mom? Growing cohort of older parents face new risks post Dobbs.
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- UK says Russia’s intelligence service behind sustained attempts to meddle in British democracy
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- New York Jets to start Zach Wilson vs. Texans 2 weeks after he was demoted to third string
- Nevada grand jury indicts six Republicans who falsely certified that Trump won the state in 2020
- Vegas shooter who killed 3 was a professor who recently applied for a job at UNLV, AP source says
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- New GOP-favored Georgia congressional map nears passage as the end looms for redistricting session
- Facebook and Instagram are steering child predators to kids, New Mexico AG alleges
- Why Matt Bomer Stands by His Decision to Pass on Barbie Role
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Indiana’s appeals court hears arguments challenging abortion ban under a state religious freedom law
Chinese navy ships are first to dock at new pier at Cambodian naval base linked to Beijing
Gates Foundation takes on poverty in the U.S. with $100 million commitment
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
J Balvin returns to his reggaeton roots on the romantic ‘Amigos’ — and no, it is not about Bad Bunny
Three North Carolina Marines were found dead in a car with unconnected exhaust pipes, autopsies show
You Only Have 72 Hours to Shop Kate Spade’s 80% Off Deals, $59 Bags, $12 Earrings, $39 Wallets, and More