In the WNBA, rookies have historically taken center stage at times, coming out of their own legendary collegiate careers. But some of them have had such a strong impact in just their debut season that we all instantly knew how their career trajectory would proceed from here on.

Below are the 15 WNBA players with the best rookie seasons in history.

15. Aliyah Boston

Before the Indiana Fever acquired Caitlin Clark, they got Aliyah Boston as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023. Boston quickly became the cornerstone of the franchise, converting on more than half of her field goal attempts to finish with 14.5 points per game.

Her dominant rookie season as a center saw her record multiple games with 14 rebounds and a handful with 20 or more points, a sign of what was to come for Indiana.

14. Sue Bird

There were naturally expectations around Bird, who graduated from the UConn Huskies. And safe to say, she passed them with flying colors, putting up 14.4 points per game while becoming one of the league's top facilitators.

While she lost the Rookie of the Year award to Tamika Catchings, it doesn't take away from the immediate impact she had on Seattle.

13. Napheesa Collier

Another UConn graduate, the Minnesota Lynx picked Collier as the sixth overall pick, and she established herself as a calming presence and a perfect late-game player with her poise, even at a young age.

Collier won the 2019 Rookie of the Year honor, averaging 13 points per game. In her first WNBA game, she put up 27 points, a cameo of what was to come from the perennial MVP candidate.

12. Chiney Ogwumike

As soon as Chiney jumped from Stamford to Connecticut, she showed just how dominant a post player she could be. Chiney's elite work in the paint saw her average 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

And while injuries took a toll on her career later on, Chiney's debut season showed the world just how great she can be.

11. Rhyne Howard

From day 1, Howard showed off her elite scoring skills and showcased to the world just why she was picked first overall in the draft.

Howard put up 16.2 points a night as the night-in and night-out top-scoring option, who was also tasked with guarding the top player on the opposing team. 

10. Angel Reese

While Reese was drafted as only the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft, with all eyes on her, she quickly established herself as the best rebounder in the league.

Reese was one of the rare rookies to finish with a double-double, with 13.1 points and rebounds per game. While she finished as runner-up in the rookie race, she did receive an All-Star selection, serving as well-deserved recognition for a phenomenal debut campaign. 

9. Paige Bueckers

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Bueckers had to follow the magic Caitlin Clark put just a year before her. Bueckers quickly established why she was labelled as a generational talent, dismantling all her critics game by game.

She averaged a tick under 20 points a night while dishing out 6.2 assists per game. Her arrival has now turned Dallas into a serious contender and one of the league's most entertaining teams.

8. Tina Charles

Charles' stellar career at UConn served as the perfect transition into becoming the No. 1 pick by the nearby Connecticut Sun.

And the same fans who rooted for her since her college days were rewarded with one of the greatest rookie interior seasons ever. Charles's 11.7 rebounds per game are significant in that they marked the first time a rookie averaged a double-double with 15.5 points per game. 

7. Elena Delle Donne

Coming out of Delaware as the No. 2 overall pick, Donne has had one of the best three-point rates (43.8%) and free-throw rates (92.9%) of any WNBA Rookie of the Year winner.

 Her impact was so tremendous that she led the Chicago Sky to a Finals appearance, marking the start of a dynamic run for the franchise.

6. Breanna Stewart

Stewart naturally had a lot of expectations, coming as college basketball's greatest-ever winner. The four-time consecutive national championship winner was tasked with the job of bringing her winning ways to an organization that desperately needed a boost.

Stewart did all she could to become a Day 1 star, averaging a near double-double with 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Seattle missed the playoffs that season but made massive progress toward an eventual title run a few seasons later, capped by Stewart winning Finals MVP. 

5. A'ja Wilson

Following her endless accolades in South Carolina, Wilson was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces. She continued to dominate as an interior presence, averaging 20 points and 8 boards per game across 35 minutes.

Wilson has been this consistent and more ever since, on course to win her fifth MVP this season if she continues this scoring run.

4. Maya Moore

The three-time Wade Trophy winner at UConn didn't have the biggest stats as the No. 1 pick in 2011, but her impact was immediate and enormous. She was the missing element the Lynx needed to lead them that year to the first of their four WNBA championships.

The forward would go on to be the league MVP in 2014, and she made six trips to the WNBA Finals in her eight seasons in the league.

3. Tamika Catchings

Drafted third overall in the 2001 draft, Catchings had to miss the first season as she was rehabbing her ACL tear. In 2002, the wait finally paid off, as Catchings led the Indiana Fever to its first playoff appearance.

Catchings averaged 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and a league-best 2.9 steals in her debut campaign.

All of that amounted to an All-Star appearance, a first-team All-WNBA berth, and a Rookie of the Year award while finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

2. Caitlin Clark

It was almost as if the whole world stopped to watch Caitlin Clark's debut season. The No. 1 pick coming from Iowa has had one of the largest impacts on the league, as she brought a new audience following her to the WNBA.

Clark did not disappoint, with 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. But her impact extended far beyond the court, as the 2024 Rookie of the Year played a role in the league reaching record viewership.

1. Candace Parker

To this day, it feels unnatural that Candace Parker won the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award in the same season. She is the only rookie to do that, as Parker was immediately forced to be reckoned with in the WNBA in 2008.

She won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2008, then the forward-center and the Sparks made it to the Western Conference finals. In terms of impact, no rookie has changed the landscape of a franchise to this level, yet.

Honorable mentions - Seimone Augustus, Olivia Miles (who will most probably grab a top spot in the list once the season ends).

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy