Whatever dull moment the Dallas Wings have going on, Paige Bueckers is having a rookie campaign for ages. For immediate comparison, some believe it might just be better than Caitlin Clark’s. “Pound for pound,” says Bleacher Report writer Sara Civian, basing on the first half. Well, the UConn alumna has kept pace with almost every record Clark set, better even with her well-roundedness. But one stat, the Fever sensation has a firm grip over, and no ESPN blunder can hide it.
On-air and splashed across the screen, the global sports network declared: “Paige Bueckers was chasing Odyssey Sims for the record of most assists by a rookie in a season. Well, she’s got it: 481! Congratulations! She’s just rewriting the entire rookie record book.” Another analyst chimed in with, “Completely new standards!”
The only problem here is that number isn’t just wrong: it’s impossible. No player in WNBA history has ever sniffed 481 assists in a season. As of now, it’s a record so far out of reach it may as well belong to an entirely different sport. In reality, here’s what happened:
Paige Bueckers entered Friday night’s game vs. the Sparks with 141 assists in 2025.
She needed just two to set a franchise rookie record, not a league-wide one (as ESPN implied).
She got it by finishing at 143, surpassing Odyssey Sims’ 142.
The actual all-time WNBA rookie assists record is 321. It is held by Caitlin Clark… achieved just last year.
So the viewers weren’t having it. Media veteran Robin Lundberg one among them. “Caitlin Clark literally set the WNBA record for assists in a season as a rookie lol,” he expressed. Another posted: “She has over 14 assists per game? Wow, I guess she is better than CC.”
The Wings guard is having a memorable run, but the “rewriting the entire rookie record book” remark with an inflated number just wasn’t it for them.
Caitlin Clark literally set the WNBA record for assists in a season as a rookie lol https://t.co/fOQRA7fjFh
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) August 15, 2025
So far into the season, Paige has tied Clark as the fastest player to reach 300 points and 100 assists. Soon after, she surpassed the Fever sensation to record 450 or more points, 100 or more rebounds and 100 or more assists in just 25 games. She also became the only rookie to record double-digit points in the first 20 games of the season. But the assist record, it remains intact. Clark finished her season with league-leading 8.4 average, while Bueckers in floating around in 5.4.
ESPN has previously caught flak for downplaying Caitlin Clark, and this blunder did not help. Nonetheless, as Paige has said: “running my own race,” and that franchise record was yet another highlight. For Clark faithful, on the other hand, it just hasn’t been a pretty year. And we aren’t talking about the injury alone.
Caitlin Clark Snubbed… Again
NBA 2K26 has become another latest brand to spark controversy around Caitlin Clark’s standing in the league. This time, the outrage practically wrote itself. Because the headlines have been reading like “Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James snubbed from NBA 2K26’s top shooting rankings, sparking fan backlash” or “Indiana Fever: NBA 2K26 faces criticism after Caitlin Clark misses top three WNBA player ratings.” Despite not playing for over a month, Clark remains the WNBA’s most polarizing figure, at least in the virtual basketball world.
The controversy is about Caitlin Clark’s NBA 2K26 rating of 96 out of 99. This places her fourth-highest in the game and it does not sit right with fans. They think its shockingly low for the reigning Rookie of the Year. Some even argue that she should have been the cover athlete instead of Chicago’s Angel Reese and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But there are also critics pointing to her injury-plagued 2025 season (just 13 games, groin issues, 16.5 PPG, and under 28% shooting – all below her rookie numbers).
2K Games poured gasoline on the fire when they shared the top WNBA ratings on Friday. It just noted that Clark “comes in as one of the best, but not the best.” The published top-10 list:
Napheesa Collier, Lynx: 98
A’ja Wilson, Aces: 97
Breanna Stewart, Liberty: 97
Caitlin Clark, Fever: 96
Alyssa Thomas, Mercury: 95
Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty: 93
Nneka Ogwumike, Storm: 92
Satou Sabally, Mercury: 92
Jonquel Jones, Liberty: 92
Angel Reese, Sky: 90
Notably, here Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the only second-year players in the top 10. From the facts, it feels like whenever there’s an opportunity to highlight Clark, major platforms consistently position her just slightly below the top. Let us know how you feel about it.
The post ESPN Receives Flak For Caitlin Clark Disrespect After Posting Wildly Inaccurate Paige Bueckers Stats On National TV appeared first on EssentiallySports.