The 2017 WNBA season is only weeks away as the league will tip off its third
decade of hoops on Saturday, May 13. After 20 seasons, the WNBA record book is
stacked with current and future Hall of Famers. But it’s about to get some
younger company this season.
Let’s dive into the all-time leaders in WNBA history and see where some of
today’s stars stand as they get set to suit up for another season, with more
opportunities to climb the ranks and set themselves among – and sometimes above
– such great company.
Points
Diana Taurasi trails Tina Thompson by just 177 points as the WNBA’s all-time
scoring leader. If the Phoenix guard replicates her 17.8 points per game average
from a year ago, she would need exactly 10 games to surpass Thompson as the WNBA
new scoring standard-bearer. Taurasi enters the season ranked third behind
Thompson and Tamika Catchings, but should bypass them both in far fewer games.
Thompson (496) and Catchings (457) rank second and sixth, respectively, in games
played in WNBA history. Taurasi is on track to score more points than both in
just 377 games.
Taurasi’s former teammate and current Chicago Sky guard Cappie Pondexter enters
the season ranked fifth all-time in scoring, but is nearly 1,000 points (999 to
be exact) behind Diana. While Cappie won’t be able to crack the top three this
season, passing Katie Smith for fourth place is in reach as Smith leads by just
140 points. Pondexter’s scoring has dropped off in recent seasons – her 12.9 ppg
in 2016 was a career-low – but with the departure of Elena Delle Donne, she may
assume a larger scoring role this season for Chicago.
3-Pointers Made
Not only is Taurasi on pace to become the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader this
year, she’s also a virtual lock to pass Smith for the all-time lead in
3-pointers made. Taurasi trails Smith by just six treys entering the 2017
season. Taurasi has averaged 2.45 3-pointers per game in her career, but has
made at least six in a single game 13 times, including two last season. There’s
no doubt this record will fall, the only question is how many games will it take
for Diana to do it. She’s made seven 3s in a game five times and has a
career-best of eight 3s in a game, which she has done twice (May 25, 2010 and
Aug. 10, 2006).
Sue Bird, who currently ranks fifth all-time in 3-pointers made with 736,
knocked down a career-best 72 treys last season. While that would easily be
enough to pass Thompson (748) for fourth all-time, it would fall short of Becky
Hammon (829) for third place.
Rebounds
Rebekkah Brunson enters the season just 15 rebounds shy of being the fifth
player in WNBA history to accumulate 3,000 career boards. She needs just 86
boards to climb past Taj McWilliams-Franklin (3,013) and Thompson (3,070) for
third on the all-time list. Considering she corralled 240 boards last season and
has 200 or more rebounds in six of her last seven seasons (the only exception
was 2014 when she was limited to 11 games due to injury), that is a pretty safe
bet. She would need 323 boards to pass Lisa Leslie for second place and 332 to
pass Catchings. With a career-best of 310 boards in a season (in 2010 with the
Lynx), it’s unlikely Brunson will climb past third this season.
Two players that will crack the top 10 in rebounds this year are Tina Charles
(12th at 2,335) and Sylvia Fowles (14th at 2,272). Charles is the WNBA’s
all-time leader in rebounds per game at 10.2 over the first seven seasons of her
career, with Fowles not far behind at fourth with an average of 9.5 boards over
nine seasons. If Charles can repeat what she did a year ago (317 rebounds), she
would reach sixth all-time in just eight seasons. Compare that to the top five –
Catchings (15 seasons), Leslie (11), Thompson (16), McWilliams-Franklin (13) and
Brunson (entering 14th season) – and Charles could end up shattering the record
if she has the same type of longevity.
Assists
There are currently four active players ranked among the top eight all-time in
career assists, led by last season’s assist leader Bird, who enters the 2017
season second all-time behind Ticha Penicheiro. Bird has a realistic shot of
passing Penicheiro for the all-time lead this season; she trails by 188 assists
and had 196 last season. However, that was Bird’s highest total since her second
season in the WNBA back in 2003; she has only surpassed 188 assists in a season
four times in her 14-year career. Of course, Bird’s pursuit is contingent on her
returning to the lineup healthy to start the season. It was announced that Bird
underwent knee surgery and will miss training camp and the preseason.
Lindsay Whalen is locked into the No. 3 slot: she enters the season 255 assists
behind Bird and has never cracked 200 assists in a season in her career. Taurasi
may catch Hammon for fourth place, as she trails by 132 assists and had 128 last
season. If Pondexter can replicate her 90 assists from 2016, she would climb
from eighth to sixth place as she passes Shannon Johnson and Catchings.
Steals
Jia Perkins (598), Alana Beard (582) and Bird (581) rank sixth, seventh and
eighth, respectively, on the all-time steals list entering the 2017 season.
Beard, who collected 59 steals last season on her way to being named to the
All-Defensive First Team, is well within striking distance of passing both
DeLisha Milton-Jones (619) and Katie Douglas (623) this season, which would put
her on the precipice of the top three of Catchings, Penicheiro and Sheryl
Swoopes. Bird and Perkins had 34 and 31 steals, respectively, last season.
Perkins would also pass Milton-Jones and Douglas if she can repeat her effort in
2017, which would land her in the top five all-time.
Blocks
Sylvia Fowles (463), Brittney Griner (422) and Candace Parker (413) enter the
2017 season ranked seventh, ninth and 10th in career blocks, with Griner
cracking the top 10 in just four WNBA seasons. Fowles, who had 61 blocks last
season, needs 42 to pass Ruth Riley for sixth, but likely won’t climb higher
than that this season. Griner should easily pass McWilliams-Franklin and Riley
this season and could pass Fowles as well. Griner, who has led the WNBA in
blocks in each of her first four seasons, had 107 blocks a year ago. She is
already more than halfway to Margo Dydek’s all-time record of 877.
Games Played
Bird can climb as high as No. 4 if she plays at least 33 games; again keep in
mind that she just had knee surgery. If Bird plays all 34 – as she did last
season – she would be one behind Smith for No. 3. She opens the 2017 season just
52 games behind Milton-Jones for first all-time, easily reachable if she plays
two more seasons.
Whalen can overtake Catchings for sixth if she plays at least 32 games, the
exact number that she played last season. She has played at least 32 games in
all but three seasons in her 13-year career.
