Breanna Stewart re-writes WNBA history books, becomes fastest player to 5,000 career points

Breanna Stewart set a new WNBA scoring standard on Sunday while tallying in 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in New York Liberty's 81-75 victory over the Atlanta Dream. The win for New York extends the best start in franchise history.

Stewart scored her 5,000th career point in the second quarter while becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to do so.

The previous record-holder was all-time WNBA leading scorer Diana Taurasi, who scored her 5,000th point in her 243rd game, while this was 242 games for Stewart. In addition to this milestone, she also moved into 25th place on the all-time scoring list in her eighth season in the WNBA.

It was a slower start for the Liberty against the Dream, but a significant second-half effort got New York back into the game. Back-to-back 3s by Stewart extended the Liberty lead to seven late into the third quarter. The Liberty then finished the game on a 21-16 run to extend the best franchise start with the league's best record.

Breanna Stewart enjoys passing Diana Taurasi but wants more

“It’s a cool honor, for sure. Obviously, when you get to pass someone like D [Taurasi], who is really paving the way for scoring and all of that. It’s an incredible honor and also something that I’ll definitely text her about,” Stewart said with a laugh, per the New York Post. “But, all in all, I wouldn’t be here and be able to do all these things without my teammates and really appreciating them for setting me up to get to this point. But, we’re trying to do more than just get accolades.”

The two-time MVP is averaging 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game this season, leading the Liberty to a hot start. In her eight-year career, she is averaging 20.7 points. In Stewie's already legendary career, this milestone is still only the beginning for the superstar.