Women's Basketball – WNBA

Alyssa Thomas Just Joined Diana Taurasi in a Club No One Else Has Reached

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Alyssa Thomas Just Joined Diana Taurasi in a Club No One Else Has Reached

The Phoenix Mercury lost again Monday night in Minneapolis. That part was familiar — four straight losses, an 8-17 record, another frustrating road trip. But Alyssa Thomas spent the evening doing something no other active WNBA player can claim.

She joined Diana Taurasi as the only two players in league history with at least 4,000 points, 2,000 assists and 2,000 rebounds.

Thomas put up 19 points, 12 assists and eight boards in a 104-100 loss to the Lynx at Target Center. The game itself was a mess of lead changes — 23 of them, plus 13 ties. Kahleah Copper dropped 26 points for Phoenix, but Minnesota got 37 from Kayla McBride and 33 from Olivia Miles. The Lynx won their third straight at home.

The 12 assists pushed Thomas past 2,000 for her career. That stat line, combined with her career totals, put her in a group that previously had exactly one member: Taurasi, who retired in 2024 as the league’s all-time leading scorer after 20 seasons in Phoenix.

The WNBA acknowledged it postgame on X, calling it an “exclusive group” and noting the exact numbers. No hyperbole needed. It’s just a fact.

Thomas has never been the flashiest star in the league. What she does is harder to quantify in a single highlight. She initiates the offense. She crashes the boards against taller players. She guards just about everyone. She makes the pass that leads to the pass. That kind of versatility is why she also holds the WNBA records for most regular-season and playoff triple-doubles.

This milestone came in a loss, which is basically the story of Phoenix’s season. But it’s also the story of Thomas’s career in some ways. She’s been doing impossible things on a team that hasn’t always given her the help she needs. Monday night was just the latest example.

Now she shares something with Taurasi that no one else has. And considering Taurasi spent two decades rewriting what was possible in this league, that’s legit company.

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