Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark caps off rookie season with historic outing in playoff loss to Sun

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 26, 2024 8:01 AM ET

Caitlin Clark's rookie season ended Wednesday after the Connecticut Sun completed a two-game sweep of the Indiana Fever in an 87-81 victory. But, the unanimous 2024 Rookie of the Year left basketball fans with one more history-making performance.

Despite the loss, Clark finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds. According to Stathead, she joins Maya Moore (2011) as the only true rookie to record at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds in a postseason game.

Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper also technically accomplished the feat as a rookie. However, it came in 1997, the inaugural WNBA season, when every player was in their first year.

What a season for the rook

Caitlin Clark becomes the only rookie to record a 25+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ AST game in the WNBA Playoffs. At 22y, 247d, she's the youngest player to record such a game, previously: Cappie Pondexter (24y, 235d)#WNBAPlayoffs presented by @google pic.twitter.com/BOuz1AGVHT
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 26, 2024

Clark's first playoff appearance was brief, but she wow-ed, averaging 18 points, 8.5 assists, five assists, two steals and a block over two games. To put her postseason performance into context, the only player to post those numbers in their first playoff series, WNBA or NBA, was Michael Jordan, per StatMamba.

For Clark, it's a bittersweet end to inarguably the best rookie season the league has ever seen.

On top of earning Rookie of the Year honors, Clark's resume is bursting at the seams with incredible accolades. The 22-year-old not only transformed how mainstream media viewed the WNBA by garnering record-breaking viewership but also filled the stat sheet and the record books.

Clark more than lived up to her No. 1 pick status, setting the rookie mark for three-pointers in a season while becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double. She also holds the single-season assists record, rookie or otherwise, and is the fastest player to reach 500 points and 200 assists.

Meanwhile, Clark greatly impacted the Fever, helping the franchise reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Clark's remarkable rookie season is already legendary. But it's only the beginning for one of the sport's most exciting young stars.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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