5 best rookies seasons in WNBA history

Interest in the WNBA is at an all-time high, sparked in part by a remarkable incoming rookie class. There is, of course, phenom Caitlin Clark — the No. 1 pick who just finished her college career with back-to-back National Championship game appearances, leading the nation in scoring and assists and becoming the NCAA basketball all-time leading scorer, men's or women's.

Clark hasn't played a game yet and she has already broken records for jersey and ticket sales and sparked an enormous bidding war among shoe companies for her allegiances. But Clark isn't the only future star in this rookie class — Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson, Jacy Sheldon, Alissa Pilli and Aaliyah Edwards have all the potential to break out immediately.

The WNBA has had plenty of rookies come in and dominate right from the jump and it's hard to narrow it down to the five best rookie seasons ever — this list doesn't even include legends like Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Nneka Ogwumike. But these are the best we've ever seen, and the ones Caitlin Clark and her fellow 2024 WNBA rookies will be measured against.

5. Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm, 2016

Coming out of UConn as a four-time NCAA champion, Stewart, a 6-foot-4 post player, made an immediate impact on the Seatle Storm. Not only did she win Rookie of the Year, but she also helped the United States win an Olympic gold medal in the same year.

In her first rookie game she scored 23 points and it only went up from there.

It helped that Stewart had a former Huskie and legend, Sue Bird, alongside her, who greatly influenced her game and adjustment to the pros. Stewart received 38 of the 39 votes from a national media panel to decide on her Rookie of the Year award. That season, she averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, becoming just the sixth player in league history to reach those averages. She also helped the Storm reach the playoffs for the first time in three years.

To say that Stewart was dominant in her rookie year would be an understatement. She scored in double figures 31 times and had 12 double-doubles. Her season-high was 38 points, and she also swept the league's Rookie of the Month honors for the entire season. In addition, she was named to the All-WNBA second team and the WNBA All-Defense second team.

Stewie has had a successful career since becoming a five-time WNBA All-Star, two-time MVP, two-time WNBA champion, and two-time WNBA Finals MVP. Only entering her ninth season in the league, she has shown no signs of slowing down, averaging 23.0 points per game last year for the New York Liberty.

4. Elena Delle Done, Chicago Sky, 2013

Delle Done wasn't drafted No. 1 but won the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2013, the only No. 2 draft pick to win the award. She had one of the best rookie seasons in league history, averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and able to play forward and guard, she shot better from 3-point range (43.8 percent) than from the field overall (42.6 percent). She began her dominance on the free-throw line in her rookie season, shooting 92.9 percent and her percentage from the charity stripe has only gone up since. In her rookie season, she led all players in votes for the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game which was the first time a rookie had done so in league history.

Delle Donne had a minor setback due to a concussion midseason, but once she returned, she was back in regular form. She led the Sky to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and, earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Delle Done has fought injuries and Lyme disease throughout her career but has still had an enormous impact, leading the Washington Mystics to their first, and only, WNBA championship.. She was named MVP twice and is a seven-time All-Star. It was announced early into the offseason that Delle Done would be taking this upcoming season off for personal reasons, but she is still having a lasting impact on the league.

3. A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, 2018

Wilson entered the WNBA draft as the consensus National College Player of the Year and became the No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Aces. In her first game in the WNBA, she dropped a double-double and, later in the season, became the second rookie in league history to score 35 points and grab 10 rebounds.

In her first season, she was voted into the WNBA All-Star game and later was named the Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. While the Aces did not make the playoffs that year, Wilson was the face of the future for the Aces and of a new era in the league.

Her resume is stacked in just the six years she has been in the league — Wilson is now a two-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time WNBA All-Star.

Right now, Wilson is the face of the league as the star of arguably the best team in the league. She's spent summers playing for Team USA and helped lead them to a gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics and will be looking for another in Paris this year. But her rookie season goes down as one of the best in history.

2. Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever, 2002

While Catchings couldn't play in her first season due to an ACL injury, but the Indiana Fever drafted her at No. 3. When she hit the court in 2002 to embark on her first season in the league, she had an outstanding year. Averaging 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, she made an immediate impact on the Fever roster.

Catchings went on to be named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and she also tied the then-WNBA record of nine steals in a regular-season game. After leading the Fever to the playoffs, despite losing in the first rounds, Catchings averaged a postseason career-high of 20.3 points per game. She was a WNBA All-Star in her rookie year and was named to the All-WNBA first team.

While Catchings's time in the WNBA has come to a close, she has one of the most stacked resumes in league history. She is the WNBA all-time steals leader and is the league's all-time postseason leading scorer, rebounder and stealer.

After her rookie season, she went on to have a legendary career, winning the MVP once and a championship with a Finals MVP. Catchings was a player known for her defensive abilities and she was the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year five times.

Catchings No. 24 is retired for the Indiana Fever and now the organization has a similar sensation rookie coming in Clark.

1. Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks, 2008

Coming out of Tennessee, leading the program to a second consecutive NCAA title, Parker was selected with the No. 1 pick by the Los Angeles Sparks. In her rookie season, she was the only player in WNBA history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards.

Parker was dunking and averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while also shooting 52.3 percent from the field. In her rookie year, she played alongside her former Olympic teammates Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones, where she learned from some of the best. She followed in Leslie's footsteps, becoming the second woman in WNBA history to dunk during a WNBA game.

In her rookie year, Parker scored a career-high of 40 points along with 16 rebounds and six assists in a phenomenal performance against the Houston Comets. During that season, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to let players join the national teams at the Summer Olympics. Parker was one of those players selected and helped the US team win eight straight games to take the gold medal. Parker averaged 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Parker has had a legendary career in the WNBA, becoming a three-time WNBA champion, WNBA Finals MVP, two-time WNBA MVP, and seven-time WNBA All-Star. Compared to other players in the league, her accomplishments are rare as she has been a part of three different organizations. But she led all three to a title. It only got better from there Parker's rookie year will go down as the best in WNBA history ... so far.