WNBA MilestonesRecord BreakersJun 23, 2026, 8:31 PM· 4 min read· #14 of 14 in sports

Brittney Griner Breaks All-Time Blocks Record as WNBA Stars Shatter Milestones

Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner became the WNBA's career blocks leader, headlining a historic week that saw Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese all set new league records.

By Factlen Editorial Team

Next-Generation Advocates 40%League Historians 35%Player Development Analysts 25%
Next-Generation Advocates
Focuses on the explosive impact of young stars who are redefining the league's statistical boundaries.
League Historians
Values the context of long-standing records and the bridge between the WNBA's pioneers and its current stars.
Player Development Analysts
Analyzes the evolution of skill, pace, and efficiency that enables modern teams to set new offensive benchmarks.

What's not represented

  • · Former players from the 2000s era reflecting on the evolution of the game's pace.
  • · Defensive specialists analyzing the difficulty of rim protection in today's perimeter-heavy WNBA.

Why this matters

The simultaneous breaking of decades-old records by veterans and the blistering pace of new milestones set by young stars highlights a golden era of talent in the WNBA's 30th season. For fans, it represents an unprecedented level of play where basketball history is being rewritten on a nightly basis.

Key points

  • Brittney Griner recorded her 878th career block, passing Margo Dydek to become the WNBA's all-time leader.
  • Caitlin Clark set a league record with her sixth consecutive game of at least 20 points and five assists.
  • Paige Bueckers reached 1,000 career points in 52 games, tying for the fourth-fastest in league history.
  • Angel Reese became the fastest player to reach 1,000 career rebounds, achieving the milestone in 79 games.
  • The Dallas Wings set a single-game WNBA record by making 48 field goals in an overtime victory.
878
Griner's career blocks
6
Clark's consecutive 20pt/5ast games
79
Games for Reese to hit 1,000 rebounds
52
Games for Bueckers to hit 1,000 points
48
Dallas Wings record field goals

The WNBA’s 30th season is rapidly becoming a nightly rewriting of the basketball history books. On a single Monday night in late June, a wave of unprecedented milestones swept across the league, headlined by Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner ascending to the top of the all-time defensive mountaintop.[1]

During a dominant 92-63 victory over the Chicago Sky in Uncasville, Griner emphatically swatted a layup attempt by Chicago rookie Kamilla Cardoso in the third quarter. The rejection marked the 878th block of Griner’s illustrious career, officially moving her past the late, legendary Margo Dydek to become the WNBA’s all-time career blocks leader.[1][2]

Dydek’s record of 877 blocks had stood firmly since 2008, and for years, it was considered one of the most untouchable marks in women’s basketball. Griner, who finished the night with 14 points and four total blocks, cemented her legacy as arguably the most dominant rim protector the sport has ever seen, achieving the milestone while leading the Sun to a crucial home victory.[2][3]

Griner passes Margo Dydek's long-standing record of 877 career blocks.
Griner passes Margo Dydek's long-standing record of 877 career blocks.

While Griner was making history in Connecticut, the league’s next generation of superstars was busy shattering records of their own. In Indianapolis, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA benchmark for offensive consistency, recording her sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points and five assists.[1][2]

Clark tallied 24 points and nine assists to lead the Fever past the Phoenix Mercury 86-77, snapping a two-game skid for Indiana. Her ability to seamlessly blend elite scoring with high-level playmaking has redefined the point guard position in her third professional season, placing her alone in the league's record books for sustained dual-threat production.[2][3]

Clark tallied 24 points and nine assists to lead the Fever past the Phoenix Mercury 86-77, snapping a two-game skid for Indiana.

The offensive fireworks continued on the West Coast, where the Dallas Wings and Seattle Storm engaged in a 112-110 overtime thriller that produced multiple milestones. Dallas guard Paige Bueckers poured in 27 points, including her 1,000th career point, reaching the milestone in just her 52nd professional game.[1][3]

Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA record with six consecutive games of at least 20 points and 5 assists.
Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA record with six consecutive games of at least 20 points and 5 assists.

By hitting the 1,000-point mark so quickly, Bueckers tied two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne as the fourth-fastest player in WNBA history to achieve the feat. Bueckers scored 17 of the Wings' final 24 points, capping her historic night by hitting the go-ahead basket late in overtime to secure the victory.[1][3]

Bueckers’ individual brilliance was matched by a historic team performance. The Wings set a new all-time WNBA record by making 48 field goals in a single game, a testament to the blistering pace and offensive efficiency that has come to define the modern era of the league.[2][3]

The Monday night milestones followed closely on the heels of another major record broken over the weekend. Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, achieving the feat in just 79 games during a victory over the Fever.[4]

Angel Reese shattered the previous record for the fastest player to reach 1,000 career rebounds.
Angel Reese shattered the previous record for the fastest player to reach 1,000 career rebounds.

Reese’s rebounding pace shattered the previous record held by Tina Charles, who took 89 games to reach the 1,000-rebound mark in 2012. Leading the league with nearly 12 rebounds per game, Reese has established herself as a generational force on the glass, combining relentless energy with elite positioning.[4]

These simultaneous achievements highlight a unique inflection point in the WNBA's 30th season. The league is currently experiencing a golden era where the sustained excellence of established veterans like Griner overlaps perfectly with the explosive, record-setting ascensions of young stars like Clark, Bueckers, and Reese.[5]

As the 2026 season marches toward the Commissioner's Cup and the playoffs, the sheer volume of history being made serves as a powerful indicator of the sport's growth. With expansion teams entering the fold and talent levels at an all-time high, the WNBA record book is likely to see even more revisions before the year is out.[5]

How we got here

  1. 2008

    Margo Dydek retires with 877 career blocks, setting a WNBA record that would stand for 18 years.

  2. 2012

    Tina Charles becomes the fastest player to reach 1,000 career rebounds, doing so in 89 games.

  3. June 20, 2026

    Angel Reese grabs her 1,000th rebound in her 79th game, breaking Charles' long-standing record.

  4. June 22, 2026

    Brittney Griner records her 878th block to become the all-time leader, while Clark and Bueckers set simultaneous milestones.

Viewpoints in depth

Veteran Dominance Advocates

Focusing on the longevity and physical toll required to break decades-old defensive records.

For longtime followers of the league, Brittney Griner's achievement is the ultimate testament to sustained defensive excellence. Margo Dydek's record was long considered untouchable due to her unique 7-foot-2 frame and the physical toll that elite rim protection takes on a player's body over a decade. Analysts emphasize that Griner's ability to maintain her timing, verticality, and defensive instincts through her 30s—while adapting to a much faster, perimeter-oriented modern game—cements her status as the greatest defensive anchor in women's basketball history.

New Era Analysts

Highlighting how the influx of young talent is fundamentally accelerating the pace and skill level of the sport.

Observers focused on the league's trajectory point to the records broken by Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese as proof of a paradigm shift. The modern WNBA features unprecedented floor spacing, faster transition play, and higher offensive efficiency, which naturally accelerates the accumulation of points and assists. This camp argues that the 2024 and 2025 draft classes entered the league with a level of pro-readiness and offensive polish that is forcing the entire league to play faster, as evidenced by the Dallas Wings' record-setting 48 field goals in a single game.

What we don't know

  • Whether Griner will become the first player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career blocks before she retires.
  • How long Clark's active streak of 20-point, 5-assist games will continue.
  • If the Dallas Wings' new single-game field goal record will be challenged as the league's offensive pace continues to accelerate.

Key terms

Double-double
A performance in which a player accumulates a double-digit number total in two of five statistical categories, most commonly points and rebounds or assists.
Field goal
Any basket scored during normal play, including both two-point and three-point shots, but excluding free throws.
Commissioner's Cup
An annual in-season tournament in the WNBA where designated regular-season games count toward a separate prize pool and championship.

Frequently asked

Whose record did Brittney Griner break?

Griner broke the all-time career blocks record previously held by Margo Dydek, who recorded 877 blocks before retiring in 2008.

What record did Caitlin Clark set?

Clark set a new WNBA record for the most consecutive games with at least 20 points and 5 assists, achieving the feat in six straight games.

How fast did Angel Reese reach 1,000 rebounds?

Reese reached 1,000 career rebounds in just 79 games, breaking the previous record of 89 games set by Tina Charles.

What team record did the Dallas Wings set?

The Dallas Wings set a WNBA single-game record by making 48 field goals during their 112-110 overtime victory against the Seattle Storm.

Sources

Source coverage

5 outlets

3 viewpoints surfaced

Next-Generation Advocates 40%League Historians 35%Player Development Analysts 25%
  1. [1]The Washington PostLeague Historians

    Brittney Griner becomes WNBA's career blocks leader, and the Sun beat the Sky

    Read on The Washington Post
  2. [2]NGSC SportsNext-Generation Advocates

    History Made: Clark and Griner Break Records in Wild WNBA Monday

    Read on NGSC Sports
  3. [3]SLAM OnlinePlayer Development Analysts

    Brittney Griner becomes WNBA's career blocks leader, and the Sun beat the Sky

    Read on SLAM Online
  4. [4]Tiger RagNext-Generation Advocates

    LSU's Angel Reese Reaches 1,000 Rebounds In Record Time

    Read on Tiger Rag
  5. [5]The IX SportsPlayer Development Analysts

    WNBA 2026: A Season of Milestones

    Read on The IX Sports
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