Caitlin Clark’s path to WNBA all-time greatness is already moving at a historically unprecedented pace. And according to Dawn, who knows a thing or two about identifying elite basketball talent, the Indiana Fever superstar could go down as one of the best players ever to grace the league, and do it in half the time it took other greats to reach that status.
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For Staley, Clark’s rapid rise is hardly surprising. Her elite shooting, exceptional passing ability, and court vision already make her difficult to defend. And with the Fever surrounding their superstar with quality talent, Staley believes one of basketball’s most spectacular individual achievements, the triple-double, will eventually become routine for Clark.
“I would say Caitlin will go down as probably one of the best players to ever grace the league,” Staley said during an appearance on Sports Illustrated’s Around the W podcast last year, a video of which the March Madness page reshared on Friday.
“She’s going to probably do it in half the time that it takes any other great player. Like, when you’re able to shoot the ball as well as she does, her passing ability and her court vision are second to none.”
“Like, her ability to deliver the basketball makes her a triple threat. She rebounds the basketball. She’s a big guard. Like, people don’t know — she’s legitimately six feet. She sees over you. She’s able to get her shot off on anyone. And I think the fact that they surrounded her with just such great talent, a triple-double is going to be a normal thing for Caitlin.”
The numbers already confirm that Clark is moving at a pace the WNBA has never seen before. She is the fastest player in league history to record 700 career assists, achieving it in just 83 games. She was also the fastest to 600 assists, the fastest to 200 career three-pointers, reaching that milestone in 74 games, the fastest to 500 career points, and the fastest to record 350 points and 150 assists in a single season.
On the specific subject of triple-doubles that Staley referenced, Clark has now accumulated four career triple-doubles in the WNBA, tying her with Sabrina Ionescu for the third-most in league history, and doing it in just her third season. For context, most elite players never collect four triple-doubles across their entire careers. Clark reached four before hitting her 80th career game. She also became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double, and did it multiple times in that debut season alone.
Historically, WNBA triple-doubles have been dominated by versatile frontcourt forwards like Alyssa Thomas, who is the all-time leader with 28 career triple-doubles. Clark is achieving this as a primary point guard, using her 6-foot frame to rebound over frontcourt players and launch fast breaks.
Interestingly, when Staley made those comments, Clark only had three triple-doubles to her name. She added the fourth this season, recording 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Portland Fire.
She has continued to make the broader statistical case for herself throughout this campaign, ranking third in the league in scoring at 22.5 points per game while leading the league in assists at 8.3 per game. With that stat line, she’ll become the first player in WNBA history to post a 20-plus point, 8-plus assist average in a season.
In fact, just before the 2026 FIBA World Cup break, the 24-year-old became the first player in WNBA history to score 30+ points and 10+ assists in back-to-back games. Now, at her first World Cup with Team USA, Clark has already established herself as the team’s playmaker.
Perhaps the word Dawn Staley was looking for is generational. And Caitlin Clark is unquestionably the perfect representation of that word as far as women’s basketball is concerned.