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Seven games into the 2026 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark has already made plenty of changes to the league's record book.
The former Iowa women's basketball star became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 500 career assists, hitting the mark on Thursday, May 28, in the Indiana Fever's90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
Clark's record-setting assist was her third of the game, and it came on a highlight-worthy dime to Sophie Cunningham in transition roughly six minutes into the second quarter. The milestone comes after the 24-year-old reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone earlier this season.
Clark beat Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, who hit 500 assists in 82 games. Here are the numbers:
She reached the milestone 23 games faster than Bird and 25 games faster than Ionescu. Bird still holds the WNBA's all-time assists record with 3,234, a mark she set over her 19-season Hall of Fame career.
Clark is now the league's all-time assists per game leader. She entered the contest averaging 8.6 assists per game across her three-year career. That was already the best average in league history, but she reportedly needed to reach 500 career assists to secure her place in the all-time ranks. She was the WNBA's assists leader during her rookie season in 2024.
Clark became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 1,000-plus points, 250-plus rebounds and 250-plus assists during the Fever's season-opening loss against the Dallas Wings on May 9. Clark hit that milestone in just 54 career games, besting Diana Taurasi's previous mark of 62 games.
She also made history in a May 17 win over Seattle with her 12th career outing with at least 20 points and 10 assists, extending her own WNBA record. Clark technically set the record in the previous game, but it was only confirmed after a review showed two of her assists had been omitted from the box score.
More: How Caitlin Clark set a WNBA record in between games, then extended it
Her performance on May 17 also made Clark the first player in WNBA history with at least 20 points and 10 assists in fewer than 25 minutes played. It was also her fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points and five assists, which tied for the longest streak to start a season in WNBA history.
At the college level, Clark is also third all-time in assists, with 1,144 dished out from 2020 to 2024 during her time as a Hawkeye.
USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Callie Fin contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark sets assist record 23 games faster than previous mark
Continue reading...
The former Iowa women's basketball star became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 500 career assists, hitting the mark on Thursday, May 28, in the Indiana Fever's90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
Clark's record-setting assist was her third of the game, and it came on a highlight-worthy dime to Sophie Cunningham in transition roughly six minutes into the second quarter. The milestone comes after the 24-year-old reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone earlier this season.
Who held the record for fastest to 500 career WNBA assists before Caitlin Clark?
Clark beat Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, who hit 500 assists in 82 games. Here are the numbers:
- Caitlin Clark: 59 games
- Sue Bird: 82 games
- SabrinaIonescu: 84 games
- Dawn Staley:101 games
- Danielle Robinson:102 games
She reached the milestone 23 games faster than Bird and 25 games faster than Ionescu. Bird still holds the WNBA's all-time assists record with 3,234, a mark she set over her 19-season Hall of Fame career.
Clark is now the league's all-time assists per game leader. She entered the contest averaging 8.6 assists per game across her three-year career. That was already the best average in league history, but she reportedly needed to reach 500 career assists to secure her place in the all-time ranks. She was the WNBA's assists leader during her rookie season in 2024.
What other WNBA records does Caitlin Clark have?
Clark became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 1,000-plus points, 250-plus rebounds and 250-plus assists during the Fever's season-opening loss against the Dallas Wings on May 9. Clark hit that milestone in just 54 career games, besting Diana Taurasi's previous mark of 62 games.
She also made history in a May 17 win over Seattle with her 12th career outing with at least 20 points and 10 assists, extending her own WNBA record. Clark technically set the record in the previous game, but it was only confirmed after a review showed two of her assists had been omitted from the box score.
More: How Caitlin Clark set a WNBA record in between games, then extended it
Her performance on May 17 also made Clark the first player in WNBA history with at least 20 points and 10 assists in fewer than 25 minutes played. It was also her fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points and five assists, which tied for the longest streak to start a season in WNBA history.
At the college level, Clark is also third all-time in assists, with 1,144 dished out from 2020 to 2024 during her time as a Hawkeye.
Caitlin Clark stats
- 2024 (40 games): 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 5.6 TO, 41.7/34.4/90.6 shooting
- 2025 (13 games): 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 5.1 TO, 36.7/27.9/82.0 shooting
- 2026 (6 games): 22.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 5.2 TO, 41/34.6/97.2 shooting
USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Callie Fin contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark sets assist record 23 games faster than previous mark
Continue reading...
