Best 5 Players in WNBA History to Win Rookie of the Year Award

Winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award is considered an honor of great prestige among rising stars. It represents the arrival of a new star talent that has very quickly and significantly impacted the league. To this date, this award has recognized many of the great female ballers who have gone down in history as legends.

This year, Caitlin Clark bagged the Rookie of the Year award, continuing the dignity of the accolade. Let us now take a look at some of the WNBA players who have received this top-five award.

Best WNBA Rookie Seasons in History

Here is a look at some of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history. These players not only earned the Rookie of the Year award but also set the stage for incredible careers.

Rank	Season	Player	Team	Position	Rookie Season Points	Nationality
1	2002	Tamika Catchings	Indiana Fever	Forward	594	American
2	2008	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks	Forward/Center	610	American
3	2024	Caitlin Clark	Indiana Fever	Guard	769	American
4	2013	Elena Delle Donne	Chicago Sky	Small Forward/ Shooting Guard	543	American
5	2004	Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury	Guard	578	American

1. Tamika Catchings

In 2021, Tamika Catchings described her hearing loss as a “super power,” using it as motivation to enhance her court awareness, as she told the New York Times. 

Tennessee’s star, who was the No. 3 pick of the Fever in 2001, displayed a variety of on-court abilities as a rookie at 22 years old, much to the dismay of other teams in the league. 

Following a year of absence due to an ACL injury during the draft, the forward achieved impressive rookie per-game stats in 2002 with 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 2.9 steals, ranking in the top six all-time. The future Hall of Famer had a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 30.9, which was 3.5 points higher than Parker, who ranked second among rookies. Her 9.2 win shares also exceeded Parker’s by 1.5, placing her at the 11th position in all-time player rankings. 

Her skill as both an attacker and defender was evident, placing second in DPOY voting with a 91 defensive rating. Her total of 94 steals during that season remains one of just four instances where she made it into the top five all-time for steals in a single season. 

If there was any doubt about her overall superiority, she ranked in the top 10 across the league in these per-game stats in 2002: points (2nd), rebounds (4th), assists (10th), steals (1st), and blocks (6th). 

She also won Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star team, received First Team All-WNBA recognition, and finished third in the MVP race. 

Choosing between Catchings and Parker in 2008 was extremely difficult. Although Parker won the MVP award, their box score statistics were similar, so advanced metrics favored Catchings. 

Also Read: Highest Paid WNBA Players in 2024: Top Salaries and Earnings

2. Candace Parker

Just over a month after being selected as the top pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, Candace Parker scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and made two steals in her first game with the Los Angeles Sparks. 

It was an indication of what was to come in the season and her upcoming Hall of Fame career. 

At just 22 years old, the player from Tennessee averaged 18.5 points, 2.3 blocks, and a league-best 9.5 rebounds per game, stats that no rookie has ever equaled in a single season, except for A’ja Wilson in 2024 and Lisa Leslie in 2001. Both of them received the MVP award in their own years. It could indicate how Parker’s experience during awards season in ’08 unfolded. 

The 6’4″ frontcourt player excelled on both offense and defense with a 27.4 PER and a league-leading 7.7 win shares in the WNBA, second only to Tamika Catchings among rookie players. That year, she ranked third in defensive rating as well, with a rating of 89.0.

Oh, and remember: She did secure the 2008 MVP title. Impressively, she successfully obtained it alongside her teammate Leslie, a three-time MVP winner who was not at her peak but still won Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-WNBA first team, as well as receiving some MVP votes.

3. Caitlin Clark

The achievements of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are exceptional! 

• WNBA’s all-time assists leader achieved 337 assists in a single season. 
• WNBA best-ever in a single season with an average of 8.4 assists per game. 
• StatMamba reports the highest number of points scored in a season by a point guard is 769. 
• Record total of 769 points set by rookie 
• Rookie set a new record by making 122 three-pointers, ranking second overall in history for any player. 
• The record for most three-pointers made per game by a rookie is 3.1. 
• WNBA single-game assist record achieved by 19 assists against the Dallas Wings. 
• The only newcomer in history to achieve two triple-doubles. 

And that’s just a summary because the 2024 All-Star player had a lot of additional details as a rookie standout with the Indiana Fever. 

Yes, unfortunately, the 22-year-old point guard broke the WNBA single-season turnover record by committing 223 turnovers. She had two additional turnovers per game compared to Alyssa Thomas, who ranked second on the all-time single-season turnovers list this year. Partly due to this, her PER (3.0) and win shares (18.8) are far from being ranked in the top 10 rookies in either category. 

Certainly, those are small issues in the overall picture of one of the best rookie seasons we have ever seen. 

Clark led Indiana Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, following an impressive turnaround from a 1-8 start. 

We should remember the immense pressure she’s under as a franchise savior and league-elevator, a burden only a young LeBron James and a few others have experienced. It’s almost impossible to determine a specific value for that kind of pressure, but similar to Maya Moore’s impressive performance during her rookie postseason, it would be foolish to ignore its impact.

Looking at Clark’s average stats per game, she recorded 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 40 games. Her shooting percentage is equal to the third-highest ever recorded for first-year players.

4. Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne’s rookie season ranks near the top of the second-tier grouping, alongside Clark, Taurasi, Bird, and Stewart, thanks to advanced metrics despite the slim margins when facing elites. 

The player from Delaware ranks third in historical true rookie PER with a score of 25.2 and win shares with 6.5. However, her situation exceeds just that. By averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game, Delle Donne played a crucial role in leading the Chicago Sky to their initial postseason appearance in 2013, marking their eighth year in the league. 

At 6’5″, she ranks third among qualified true rookies in three-point percentage at 43.8, and is the top free-throw shooter among true rookies with a percentage of .929, making her one of the deadliest in the game. She demonstrates great efficiency, being part of the same rookie club as the mentioned three individuals with a 40-40-90 record. 

The third top-four player, selected as the No. 2 pick in 2013, was also the first rookie to ever top the WNBA All-Star voting. 

All of that contributed to finishing in third place in the MVP voting, just two spots behind the prime Candace Parker. Prior to achieving two MVP awards in her illustrious career, she also received the Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA Second Team honors in 2013.

5. Diana Taurasi

It appears that in order to make it to our top five list, a player must finish in the top four for MVP rankings. Diana Taurasi accomplished this feat in 2004, earning the third spot for the Phoenix Mercury. 

For twenty years, she held the title of the greatest new guard ever. 

Though some rookie players in 2004 may have superior statistics, the MVP voters recognized the difficulty of transitioning to the point guard position in the WNBA compared to bigs. Just like the other 1’s mentioned here, she also receives a positional increase. 

However, the WNBA player on the first team managed to maintain averages of 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, a feat only matched by Caitlin Clark among rookie guards. 

Apart from her statistics, her boundless vitality and enthusiasm are well-known, and the manner in which she was characterized reminds many of a particular Indiana Fever newcomer who plays the identical role. 

Former Mercury executive Seth Sulka told the Washington Post in 2004 that she is like Michael Jordan, taking a league to a higher level. She embodies both Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. She is like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa revolutionizing the sport of baseball. Professional sports revolve around the talents and characters of star athletes. She has everything, and she is dedicating everything to the WNBA. 

Taurasi easily won Rookie of the Year over Alana Beard from Washington, and similar to Clark, and her intangibles help her barely crack the top five.

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