Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has made a habit of making history, but setting the WNBA rookie turnover record is one she hopes will go down in the record books.
Clark committed five turnovers in Wednesday’s 89-84 loss to the Mystics, giving him 127 turnovers in 23 games this season (5.5 turnovers per game).
The Fever superstar passed Nikki McCray (126), who set the rookie record in 29 games in 1998.
Clark’s 127 turnovers came just before the All-Star/Olympic break, with the team still having 17 games remaining.
With her players back, Clark will likely easily break the career turnover record set by Suns’ Alyssa Thomas (137) last season.
Clark is on track to commit 220 turnovers this season.
The front-runner for Rookie of the Year honors came out swinging on Wednesday despite her inexperience with the game, recording 29 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, five steals and five blocks, becoming the first player in either the NBA or WNBA since the 1973-74 season to accomplish this feat in a single game.
Her high turnover rate likely has to do with how reliant the Fever are on her offensively.
Clark’s usage rate is the 11th highest in the WNBA (24.6), by far the highest of any rookie and higher than stars Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner.
The WNBA’s biggest superstar has endured some tough play from her opponents, but she’s started fighting back.
In Tuesday’s match, Clark pushed Julie VanLu down and lost.
“To be honest with you, I feel like I talk to the media more than I talk to my family. And in a way, that’s really sad,” Clark told reporters on May 25, noting that he wasn’t exaggerating. “It’s tough for a 22-year-old. It’s tough at times.”
