WNBA Trivia Challenge: A'ja's, Caitlin's, and Angel's Record-Breaking Week
Unpacking a record-breaking week in the W with a septet of trivia questions
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I don’t envy this year’s Rookie of the Year voters. Look, I’m no betting expert (for that, talk to Calvin and Dano over at Spread the Floor), but it’s a race that feels a lot closer than the currently offered betting odds (FanDuel, for example, has Caitlin Clark at -600 and Angel Reese at +350 — odds that equate to roughly an 80% probability for Clark to win). Reese is rebounding at a historic clip and recently broke Candace Parker’s WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles. Clark became the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double and is on track to be just the fourth player in league history to average 15+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds per game over a full season. And yes, Clark has struggled with turnovers and Reese hasn’t been the poster child for efficiency around the rim. Nonetheless, Clark and Reese rising to the occasion this season has been compelling TV and has helped fuel the W’s astronomical growth.
I feel no such sympathy regarding the MVP vote. If A’ja Wilson continues on her current trajectory, there will be no fourth-place MVP votes this year. There won’t be any third-place votes. And there shouldn’t even be any second-place votes. Much of the fan and media attention has been on Clark and Reese. But just because we’ve grown accustomed to her greatness, let’s not forget about the best player in the world.
Ok, it’s time for the actual questions! Per usual, just a friendly reminder that Substack doesn’t have the functionality to display the correct answer after you respond (the checkmark simply denotes which option you chose), so you’ll have to scroll to the bottom to discover the correct answers. Good luck!
Question 1. In Indiana’s big win over New York last weekend, Caitlin Clark became the first rookie to record a triple-double in WNBA history. An amazing accomplishment, but it’s actually not the earliest a player has recorded a triple-double in their career in terms of games played. What player, no stranger to triple-doubles herself, posted a triple-double in her sixth career WNBA game, the fewest games in league history?
Question 2. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Angel Reese is a double-double machine. She tallied her 13th consecutive double-double in Chicago’s loss to Seattle on Sunday, breaking Candace Parker’s WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles. Who owns the record for most double-doubles in a single season with 28? The player in question came in second in that season’s MVP voting despite earning the most first-place votes.
Question 3. In the Her Hoop Stats newsletter this week, Matthew Coller broke down A’ja Wilson’s brilliant 2024 campaign. Wilson has produced 0.31 win shares per 40 minutes this season, which would rank seventh all-time if the season ended today. The following table displays the top 10 individual seasons in WNBA history, based strictly on win shares per 40 minutes. Ignoring Wilson’s 2024 season, seven of the other nine seasons resulted in an MVP. Which two players/seasons on this list did not win the MVP in the given season?
Question 4. If anyone deserves to be featured in multiple questions, it’s A’ja Wilson, so here goes. Wilson broke the franchise scoring record with her 4,301st point in Sunday’s win over Dallas. Whose record did Wilson break? Hint: The player in question spent her entire playing career with the Starzz/Stars/Silver Stars/Aces franchise.
Question 5. A member of the United States’ gold medal-winning 3x3 team at the 2020 Olympic Games, which post player leads the WNBA in 3-point percentage this season? The player in question has hit a whopping 49.5% of her attempts from long distance.
Question 6. It’s time for another question on advertisements. Kudos to those last week who correctly identified Sheila Swish as the VP of Layup Logistics. Also, I promise there will be no Easter eggs this week in the answer choices that reference Her Hoop Stats Founder and CEO Aaron Barzilai. Instead, we turn our attention to a commercial for LegalZoom. In the ad, which WNBA star visits a (fictitious) big and tall furniture store called Greek Teak owned by Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo?
Question 7. Which former Finals MVP is tied with A’ja Wilson for the most 30+ point games this season with six? The player in question ranks third this year in points per game, and, using Her Hoop Stats’ handy-dandy Shot Details feature, she’s hit five shots in one-possession games with under one minute remaining in the game, the most in the W this year.
Answers:
1. D - Sabrina Ionescu - Ionescu suffered a season-ending injury in the third game of her rookie year. She bounced back with a triple-double in the third game of her sophomore campaign, finishing with 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in New York’s win over Minnesota on May 18, 2021.
2. B - Alyssa Thomas - Thomas set the single-season records for triple-doubles (6) and double-doubles (28) last season. She recorded double-doubles in 70% of her games last season, the highest by any player in a single season in league history (minimum 20 games played). Reese, who’s posted a double-double in 70% of her games this season, is on track to match Thomas’ single-season double-double record.
3. D - A’ja Wilson (2023), Lauren Jackson (2006) - Believe it or not, the best and fourth-best seasons of all time (strictly in terms of win shares per 40 minutes) did not result in MVP wins for the players responsible. Wilson finished third in the closest three-player MVP race in league history; Breanna Stewart took home the honor. Lisa Leslie took home the accolade in 2006. Jackson, who probably didn’t benefit from Seattle’s 18-16 record that season, actually finished fourth in the voting per Across the Timeline.
4. A - Sophia Young-Malcolm - A 4-time All-WNBA selection, Young-Malcolm spent her entire WNBA career with the San Antonio Stars (which ultimately became the Las Vegas Aces), amassing 4,300 points in her nine seasons with the franchise.
5. C - Stefanie Dolson - Dolson has been on an absolute tear from long distance this season with the Mystics, shooting 45-for-91 from beyond the arc. While there will likely be some regression to the mean in the season’s second half, it’s nonetheless interesting that only six players in league history have shot better than 49.5% from deep over a full season (minimum 25 threes made).
6. D - Kelsey Plum - Spoiler alert: She’s not the biggest fan of the Antetokounmpos’ wooden pillows.
7. B - Kahleah Copper - Copper, who earned Finals MVP honors with Chicago in 2021, is averaging a career-high 22.5 points per game this season.
So, how’d you do? Let us know in the comments if you’d like, thanks as always for playing, and hope to see you all next time for more WNBA trivia fun!
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
5/7 (would have been 6/7 but I misread the first question 🤦🏾♀️).