The 10 Best Rookie Seasons in WNBA History
Only two true guards -- Clark and Diana Taurasi -- made this list. That's probably because it can take a little longer for guards to adjust to the league.
But in Clark's case, it didn't take long until the league had to start adjusting to her.
Rookie year stats: 18.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.3 BPG
Parker is the only Rookie of the Year to also win MVP in the same season. The No. 1 draft pick was coming off back-to-back NCAA titles at
Tennessee and was immediately a force in the WNBA. She won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2008, then the forward-center and the Sparks made it to the Western Conference finals. Parker went on to claim another MVP award (in 2013) and win a Defensive Player of the Year honor (2020), and she was a member of three WNBA championship teams (2016, 2021, 2023).
Rookie year stats: 18.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.9 SPG
Catchings was drafted No. 3 in 2001 but was rehabbing a knee injury that cut short her senior season at Tennessee. Thus, her rookie season was 2002, when she led the Fever to their first playoff appearance. Catchings recorded 9.2 win shares, the most ever by a WNBA rookie. The forward went on to collect a league MVP award (2011), was a five-time Defensive Player of the Year and won the 2012 championship.
Rookie year stats (through Sept. 10): 19.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
Clark was the top pick in April, following fellow No. 1 selection
Aliyah Boston, who was the 2023 Rookie of the Year for the Fever. Those two have made great progress in one season as a top guard-post combo. Clark also has jelled well with starting backcourt mate
Kelsey Mitchell; both are averaging just over 19 points per game. A strong case can be made that Clark has had the best offensive season ever for a WNBA rookie. Where a player such as Catchings has an edge is that she also was an elite defender as a rookie. Clark has made progress on that side of the court. And while she averages a league-high 5.7 turnovers per game, her being the team's primary ball handler and the league's assist leader must be taken into account.
Rookie year stats: 13.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG
The three-time Wade Trophy winner at
UConn didn't have the biggest stats as the No. 1 pick in 2011, but her impact was immediate and enormous. She was the missing element the Lynx needed to lead them that year to the first of their four WNBA championships. The forward would go on to be league MVP in 2014, and she made six trips to the WNBA Finals in her eight seasons in the league.
Rookie year stats: 20.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 BPG
Wilson was the second of three consecutive No. 1 picks for the Aces, following
Kelsey Plum (while the franchise was still in San Antonio) and before
Jackie Young. As a group, they've helped lead the Aces to the past two WNBA titles. Wilson was immediately the face of the Aces franchise when it moved to Las Vegas her rookie year, and the center is on her way this season to her third MVP award. She also has won the Defensive Player of the Year Award twice.
Rookie year stats: 18.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.9 BPG
Stewart was coming off four consecutive NCAA titles at UConn when she became the Storm's second No. 1 pick in a row, after
Jewell Loyd. During Stewart's WNBA rookie season, the forward followed in the footsteps of Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi by winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. Stewart, now with the
New York Liberty, has since won two WNBA MVP awards and two league championships.
Rookie year stats: 18.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 BPG
The No. 2 pick out of
Delaware, Delle Donne has the best 3-point rate (43.8%) and free throw rate (92.9%) of any WNBA Rookie of the Year winner. If anyone questioned whether it might take Delle Donne more time to adjust to the WNBA because she didn't play in a power conference in college, she proved that wasn't the case. The forward-guard went on to win two MVP awards and a WNBA championship.
Rookie year stats: 17.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.3 SPG
The No. 1 pick from UConn, where the guard won three consecutive NCAA titles, Taurasi was named Rookie of the Year and also won the first of six Olympic gold medals with Team USA during her debut season in the WNBA. The Mercury missed the playoffs that year but won their first WNBA title in 2007. In all, Taurasi has three championships with the Mercury. She was the 2009 league MVP, and Taurasi is the WNBA's all-time scoring leader.
Rookie year stats: 15.5 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.7 BPG
Charles won back-to-back NCAA titles with perfect seasons at UConn before being the No. 1 pick in 2010. Until Angel Reese this year, Charles had the highest rebounding average of any rookie in WNBA history. Charles went on to win the league's MVP award in 2012. Now with Atlanta, the center ranks second to Taurasi in career scoring.
10. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky, 2024
Rookie year stats: 13.6 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG
Reese was drafted the lowest of any of the players who made this top-10 list: She was picked No. 7 this year out of
LSU, where she won the 2023 NCAA title. But Reese has been a huge success as a rebounder. She established the WNBA single-season record for rebounds (446) and set the mark for most consecutive double-doubles (15). Her season was cut short by a wrist injury, but the forward still played 34 games.
Also considered: Seimone Augustus, Cheryl Ford,
Sue Bird
Caitlin Clark and now-sidelined Angel Reese have had historic rookie seasons. But do they rank among the best all time in the WNBA?
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