Guarding Greatness: The WNBA’s Elite Playmakers Mark 30 Seasons

To mark the WNBA’s 30th anniversary, ESPN listed the league’s most prolific guards and playmakers whose passing, vision, and clutch decision-making have shaped offensive strategies.

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Gray (Las Vegas Aces) – The “Point Gawd,” a four-time champion drafted No. 11 in 2014, missed her rookie year with a knee injury but has played every season since; she posted 7.3 assists in 2023 and averages 12.0 points and 6.7 assists at age 33.

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Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) – Assists leader with 3,234, No. 1 pick, she played 19 seasons, averaged 5.6 assists (7.1 in 2018), finished at age 41 with 6.0 assists, posted a 2.4 turnover rate and earned four titles and five Olympic gold medals.

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Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) – The 2024 No. 1 pick, she holds the record with twelve 20-point, 10-assist games, averaged 8.4 assists as a rookie, 8.8 in a 13-game sophomore season, and 9.0 this season, with a 5.4 turnover average.

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Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky / New York Liberty) – Second on the all-time assists list (2,886), she is the only player to average double-digit assists for a season (10.0 in 2020) and set an 18-assist record in 2020, later broken by Clark’s 19 in 2024; her averages are 10.0 points and 6.6 assists.

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Maya Whalen (Minnesota Lynx / Connecticut Sun) – In nine seasons she led the Lynx to six Finals and four titles, posted 11.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, led the league in assists three times and ranks fifth all-time with 2,345.

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Toni Thomas (Connecticut Sun / Phoenix Mercury) – Drafted No. 4 in 2014, Thomas became a point forward, posting 9.2 assists per game last season and ranking seventh all-time (1,875); she averages 18.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.0 assists.

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Assist Milestones – Bird’s 3,234 assists; Vandersloot’s 2,886 include 11 games with 14+ assists. Gray’s 7.3 assists in 2023 rank among the highest. Clark’s 19-assist game in 2024 beat Vandersloot’s 18-assist record. Whalen (5th, 2,345) and Thomas (7th, 1,875).

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Impact – Their scoring-plus-distribution style reshaped the point-guard role and spurred high-assist schemes.

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Coach Becky Hammon called Gray “a master chess player.” Rebekkah Brunson praised Whalen’s reliability and clutch composure.

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• “A master chess player. You're playing one move; she's playing four or five moves ahead of you.” — Becky Hammon, Head Coach, Las Vegas Aces

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• “You could always rely on Whay getting us into our sets and being that floor general. But the best thing about her is when s--- was hitting the fan and the clock was running out, she could just put her head down and get to the rack.” — Rebekkah Brunson, Former Lynx Forward

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What’s Next – Clark is projected to remain a top assist contender as her career progresses.

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