2025 WNBA: Milestones to Watch For
As the WNBA season kicks off, seasoned stars chase impressive milestones while young talent shines.
The WNBA season is just a couple days away. While a lot of chatter centers around the young players in the league, there are a lot of upcoming milestones on the line every night for the W’s most experienced players.
Here are just some of the milestones to look forward to this summer.
Tina Charles is back where it all began, once again a centerpiece for the rebuilding Connecticut Sun.
Charles is just 304 points from 8,000 points, would be just the second player to reach that mark.
She is also 41 assists from 1,000 and 486 rebounds from 4,500 (already the career leader).
Playing even 80% of the season would land Charles in the top 10 in games played, making her career statistical standings so far even more impressive.
DeWanna Bonner brought her veteran leadership to the rising Indiana Fever, continuing to build on her Hall of Fame résumé.
Not too far behind Charles, Bonner enters the season 6 points behind Tina Thompson (7,488 - No. 3 all-time) and 518 points from 8,000 herself.
She is 137 made free throws from 2,000 in the regular season; only Diana Taurasi (2,517) and Tamika Catchings (2,004) have gotten there before.
Bonner is 3 wins from becoming the fourth player with 300 in their regular season career (Sue Bird, Lindsay Whalen, Diana Taurasi) and 36 away from tying Sue Bird (333) for most all-time.
Nneka Ogwumike continues her time in Seattle with two big milestones in play.
498 points for Nneka gets her to 7,000 and would make her the sixth player to reach that mark.
She needs 40 rebounds to become the 11th player in league history with 3,000 rebounds.
If Ogwumike reaches both those marks, she’d join Tamika Catchings and DeWanna Bonner as just the third player with 7,000+ points, 3,000+ rebounds, 500+ assists, and 500+ steals.
Breanna Stewart is looking to repeat with the New York Liberty and likely remain in the MVP conversation.
Stewart needs 581 points to reach 6,000 in her regular season career. Entering the season with 261 games played, a little over 20 points-per-game keeps her in the hunt to best Diana Taurasi’s record of 6,000 points in 291 games.
She is 229 rebounds from 2,500. She could be the 10th player in WNBA history with 6,000+ points and 2,500+ rebounds and is well on her way to fastest, currently 71 games away from Tina Charles, who got to 6,000/2,500 in 332 games.
A’ja Wilson made history as the second unanimous MVP last season, and she’ll continue to make history this season.
She is 218 points from 5,000. Wilson enters this season with 227 games played, so it’s well within reach for her to challenge Breanna Stewart’s record of 5,000 points in 242 games.
Wilson is 413 rebounds from 2,500. She’ll likely take down Tina Charles’s record of 5,000 points and 2,500 rebounds in 275 games.
Lastly, it’ll take just 9 assists for Wilson to get to 500 and 59 blocks to get to 500. If she reaches all of these marks, she’d join Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker as the only players in league history with 5,000+ points, 2,500+ rebounds, 500+ assists, and 500+ blocks.
Courtney Vandersloot is back in Chicago with a variety of experience and shooters around her to throw the ball to.
She needs 150 assists to get to 3,000. Sue Bird is the only other WNBA player to get there, and Sloot will almost certainly be faster, entering the season with 428 games played. Bird got to 3,000 assists in 539 games.
Vandersloot needs 385 assists to pass Bird and become the league’s all-time leader. She had 410 in 39 games in 2023, so there could be a new player at the top of the standings by the end of the summer.
Brittney Griner has moved on from the Phoenix Mercury and will suit up for Atlanta, stretching her game for a Karl Smesko system.
How that new system affects her defense remains to be seen, but it’s possible she becomes the league’s all-time leader in blocks this year. Entering the season with 812, she is 10 behind Lisa Leslie (822 - No. 2) and 65 behind Margo Dydek (877 - No. 1).
Sabrina Ionescu is looking to help lead the Liberty to a repeat, with a few milestones in reach.
Ionescu is 663 points from 3,000; 149 assists from 1,000; and 192 rebounds from 1,000. All three are less than her career highs, and if she gets the trifecta this year she’d be the fastest player to 3K/1K/1K. She enters the season with 143 regular season games played. Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter hold the current record with 3K/1K/1K in 246 games each.
Quick hits
Alyssa Thomas is on the precipice of 4,000 points, 2,500 rebounds, 1,500 assists, and 500 steals. Only Candace Parker has reached those combined marks before.
Kayla McBride is six made free throws from 1,000. While 30 players have gotten to 1,000 made free throws already, only Elena Delle Donne (93.7%) and Becky Hammon (89.7%) rival McBride’s 89.5% made over her career.
Arike Ogunbowale is three made threes from 500. If she gets there in the next two games, she’ll be the fastest to 500 in league history. Diana Taurasi currently holds that record with 500 in 198 games.
Elizabeth Williams is 56 blocks from 500, would be the 10th player in league history to reach that mark.
Napheesa Collier is 213 points from 3,000.
Rhyne Howard is 248 points from 2,000 and 36 made threes from 300.
Caitlin Clark is 78 made threes from 200 with 40 games played so far, likely to best Katie Smith’s record of 200 made threes in 81 games. She is 231 points from 1,000 and 163 assists from 500, also likely to knock out Sue Bird’s mark of 1,000/500 in 82 games.
Angel Reese is 538 points from 1,000 and 554 rebounds from 1,000. With a full healthy season, both marks are within reach. With just 34 games under her belt so far, she could easily challenge Tina Charles’s mark of 1K/1K in 89 games.
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