Caitlin Clark keeps stacking up records like they’re going out of style. Friday night in Indianapolis, the Fever rookie — yeah, she’s still a rookie — hit two early threes against the Seattle Storm, and that was enough to make WNBA history.
Clark entered the game with 198 career 3-pointers. Needing just two more to hit 200, she didn’t waste much time. She knocked down her first from the left wing in the first quarter, then buried another early in the second. That second one was the milestone. And per ESPN Insights, she got there faster than anyone ever has.
“With her first two made threes in her 74th game, Caitlin Clark passes Katie Smith, who held the record at 81 games,” the network posted.
So Clark shaved seven games off a record that had stood for years. Smith, a Hall of Famer, set that mark back when the league was a completely different animal. Clark just blew past it in her third season. And honestly? It didn’t feel like a big deal to her in the moment. She just kept playing.
The milestone moment
The Fever crowd knew what was up, though. When Clark hit that 200th triple, the arena erupted. Her teammates and coaches were visibly hyped. For a player who’s already drawn comparisons to some of the best shooters in basketball history, this felt less like a surprise and more like a checkpoint.
Clark is averaging about 2.8 threes per game for her career so far. At that pace, she’s on track to chase down some of the league’s all-time volume records if she stays healthy. Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird are still way out in front on the career list, but Clark is coming up fast.
The Fever needed everything they could get against the Storm, too. Seattle came in with a strong defensive game plan and threw multiple looks at Clark. She didn’t force it. She just found her spots and let it fly when she was open. That’s the thing about her — she’s not just a gunner. She reads the defense, moves without the ball, and picks her moments.
What this means going forward
Clark is on pace to shatter a lot of career records if she plays long enough. The 3-point line is her zone. But this particular record — fastest to 200 — is one that seemed safe until she showed up. Katie Smith held it for over two decades. Now it belongs to the kid from Iowa who couldn’t stop making deep shots in college and hasn’t stopped since.
The Fever are now 12-10 on the season and fighting for playoff positioning in a stacked WNBA. Clark’s shooting is a huge part of that. She’s drawing defensive attention every time she crosses halfcourt, and that opens up everything for her teammates.
One thing that stood out Friday night: Clark didn’t even seem to acknowledge the record during the game. She just jogged back on defense after the second three, like it was any other bucket. That’s kind of the vibe she’s had all season. Big moments don’t seem to rattle her. She just plays.
Leave a Comment