WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark added a strong layer to her argument for Rookie of The Year against her rival, Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, on Friday.
Clark broke multiple WNBA records in the Indiana Fever’s 100-81 win over the Sky, in a game where Clark boasted a new pair of Nike Kobe 6 Protro PE shoes, flaunting Kobe Bryant merchandise in front of Reese.
Reese has said Kobe Bryant was one of her favorite players, and she even partnered her own foundation with the former NBA star’s foundation to promote a clothing line last year.
Clark didn’t relent on the basketball court either, putting up a career-best 31 points and 12 assists in the win, breaking a handful of WNBA records along the way.
It was the first 30-point, 12-assist game in WNBA history. She is now just the fifth player in NBA history, and first rookie, to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game.
On top of that, Clark now has 11 double-doubles, which ties the WNBA record for most double-doubles by a guard in a single season.
She also broke the single-season record for most games with at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game in WNBA history.
It doesn’t stop there.
CAITLIN CLARK’S HARSH RECEPTION BY THE WNBA IS ‘GOOD FOR THE GAME,’ ESPN’S HOLLY ROWE SAYS
Clark also passed Ticha Penicheiro to claim the record for most games with at least 10 assists by a rookie in WNBA history.
With the performance, Clark also became the first player in WNBA history to have multiple career games with at least 25 points, 10 assists and five 3-pointers.
Friday’s historic performance comes just three days after Clark set the record for most made 3-pointers by a WNBA record, surpassing the mark initially set by the Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard. She was 3-of-12 from downtown and finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists as Indiana picked up its 15th win.
That same night, she also became the first WNBA player to have at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in six consecutive WNBA games. It was her 10th straight game with at least 15 points and five rebounds, which put her in the elite club with Diana Taurasi as the players who have hit the mark.
Breaking landmark records in women’s basketball is nothing new for Clark, despite being a WNBA rookie.
During her college career at the University of Iowa from 2020-24, Clark became the all-time NCAA Division I men’s and women’s scoring leader. She broke the NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers and claimed the record for most career assists in NCAA tournament history.
Clark has been hailed by many to be a player that women’s basketball has never seen before.
Friday’s win also marks another chapter in one of the WNBA’s hottest young rivalries, that has already been defined by several hostile moments involving Clark. Clark took an infamous illegal hip check from Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter on June 1 and a hit in the head from Sky rookie and longtime college rival, Angel Reese, on June 16.
Sky coach Theresa Witherspoon said “nobody talks more crap than Caitlin,” to reporters on June 27.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Read the full article here
