It used to be that a triple-double in the WNBA was like a solar eclipse. You knew they were possible, you knew the math worked out, but you just didn't see them very often. For the first twenty-odd years of the league, players like Sheryl Swoopes and Margo Dydek would drop one and it would be the talk of the town for months.
Honestly, things have changed. Fast.
If you look at the WNBA triple double list today, it doesn't even look like the same sport. We went from a league where double-digit stats in three categories happened once every few seasons to a league where Alyssa Thomas might mess around and get one on a random Tuesday in August. It's a different era. The pace is higher, the versatile "point-forwards" are everywhere, and the talent floor has hit the ceiling.
The Alyssa Thomas Problem (For Everyone Else)
Let's just be real: there’s Alyssa Thomas, and then there’s everyone else. As of early 2026, Thomas has completely broken the scale. She currently sits at 23 career triple-doubles (including playoffs). To put that in perspective, nobody else in the history of the league has more than four.
Read that again. 23 to 4.
It’s not just that she’s good; it’s that her style of play is basically a triple-double factory. She’s the primary engine for the Phoenix Mercury now (after a legendary run with the Connecticut Sun), bringing the ball up, crashing the boards, and finding shooters with passes that most guards can't even see. In 2025 alone, she recorded eight of them. That's more than most Hall of Famers get in a lifetime.
She doesn't even have labrums in her shoulders, which is a detail that sounds fake but is 100% true. She plays through pain that would sideline most people, yet she’s out there out-rebounding centers and out-passing point guards.
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Who Else is High on the WNBA Triple Double List?
Behind the "Engine," the list gets a bit more crowded, but the gap is still massive. Sabrina Ionescu is the closest pursuer with 4 career triple-doubles. Sabrina was actually the one we thought would challenge the records first. She’s got that triple-double DNA from her Oregon days, and she remains a constant threat because of how well she rebounds for a guard.
Then you have the legends and the new guard:
- Caitlin Clark: She’s already sitting at 3. She was the first rookie to ever record one, and honestly, she’s probably the only person with a realistic shot at catching Thomas in the next decade. Her vision is just too good for her not to rack these up.
- Candace Parker: Also at 3. "Ace" was the blueprint. She was doing the "do-it-all" thing before it was cool, but the game was slower back then. If she played her entire career in today’s pace, she’d have 20.
- Sheryl Swoopes: The pioneer. She has 2, including the first-ever playoff triple-double back in 2005.
- Courtney Vandersloot: 2. The "Sloot" is one of the best pure passers we’ve ever seen, but her triple-doubles usually come when she gets aggressive on the glass.
The 2025 Explosion
The 2025 season was a fever dream for stat-trackers. We saw 15 total triple-doubles across the league. To give you some context, for the first 25 years of the WNBA, the entire league combined for about 10.
Why the sudden jump?
Spacing is part of it. With more players able to hit the three, the lane is open for guards to swoop in for long rebounds. But it’s also a shift in how teams use their stars. Look at Angel Reese. She snagged a triple-double in 2025, becoming the second-youngest player to do it. She’s a rebounding machine, so if her passing continues to evolve, she's going to be a regular fixture on this list.
Then you have vets like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who actually pulled off a triple-double in the All-Star Game before doing it again in the regular season. Even the "bigs" are getting in on it. Jessica Shepard dropped a 20-point triple-double last August that reminded everyone that Minnesota’s system is a goldmine for versatile players.
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A List of Every Player With a WNBA Triple-Double
It is a short and prestigious club. If you’ve done it once, you’re in the history books. If you’ve done it twice, you’re an icon.
Multiple Triple-Doubles
- Alyssa Thomas: 23
- Sabrina Ionescu: 4
- Caitlin Clark: 3
- Candace Parker: 3
- Sheryl Swoopes: 2
- Chelsea Gray: 2
- Courtney Vandersloot: 2
- Courtney Williams: 2
- Jackie Young: 2
The "One and Done" (So Far) Club
- Angel Reese
- Skylar Diggins-Smith
- Julie Allemand
- Tina Charles
- Layshia Clarendon
- Margo Dydek
- Natasha Howard
- Lisa Leslie
- Deanna Nolan
- Temeka Johnson
- Satou Sabally
- Brittney Griner
- Moriah Jefferson
- Jessica Shepard
The Weirdest One on the List
Margo Dydek’s triple-double is still the coolest. In 2001, she put up 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Most people get their third double-digit stat through assists. Not Margo. She just swatted everything that came near the rim. Lisa Leslie did the same thing in 2004 (29 pts, 15 reb, 10 blk). We haven't seen a "block" triple-double in over twenty years. With the way the league shoots now, we might never see one again.
Why This Matters for Fans
If you’re betting on games or just trying to sound smart at the sports bar, you have to realize that the "triple-double watch" is now a legitimate part of the WNBA broadcast. It’s no longer a fluke.
When the Indiana Fever play, you’re watching to see if Clark gets ten boards. When the Mercury play, you’re basically just waiting for the 4th quarter to see if Thomas has 8 or 9 assists yet.
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The game has become more "positionless." We used to have centers who stayed in the paint and guards who stayed on the perimeter. Now? You’ve got 6'4" forwards bringing the ball up and 5'9" guards leading the team in rebounding. That’s why the WNBA triple double list is growing so fast.
What to Watch Next
Keep an eye on the "secondary" stat. For players like Caitlin Clark, the points and assists are easy—the rebounds are the hard part. For someone like Angel Reese, the points and rebounds are a given—the assists are the milestone.
If you want to keep track of this in real-time, focus on the "Point Forward" roles. Teams are increasingly running their offense through players like Satou Sabally or Jackie Young. These are the players who can accumulate stats in a hurry without even realizing they're doing it.
The record is likely safe with Alyssa Thomas for a long, long time. But the race for second place? That’s where the real fun is starting.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Track the Rebound Rates: Check the "Rebound Percentage" for guards like Ionescu and Clark; if they are over 8%, a triple-double is always on the table.
- Watch the Mercury's Pace: Since Thomas moved to Phoenix, her assist numbers have spiked due to their high-octane offensive system.
- Monitor Rookie Classes: The incoming talent from the NCAA is more versatile than ever; expect at least one rookie triple-double every two seasons moving forward.