Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark broke the all-time WNBA record for assists in a single season on Friday, as her rookie regular season nears a close.
Clark made her record 317th assist during a Friday night face-off against the Las Vegas Aces, breaking Olympic gold medal winner Alyssa Thomas’s 2023 record.
Clark’s statline was impressive without the record, notching 18 points and snagging eight rebounds in a 78-74 loss to the Aces.
The young superstar of women’s basketball, who was the No. 1 pick in the April draft, has shattered numerous records this season, after a historic college ball career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The all-time points leader in NCAA history broke the WNBA record for 3-pointers made in a rookie season last month.
With 19 wins so far this season, the Fever narrowly earned a spot in the WNBA playoffs. It will be the team’s first appearance in the postseason since 2016.
Clark has been unwittingly caught in the crossfire of culture war battles since she joined the league. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert tried to pit her and Chicago Sky guard Angel Reese as rivals by citing their races earlier this week, a move that drew condemnation from the players’ union.
Clark and Reese are widely regarded as the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award at the season’s end.