A look at every WNBA triple-double in league history

In 1999, the Houston Comets were in year 3 of the league’s early dynasty, and Sheryl Swoopes was as versatile player as there was in the league. Coming off a season where she averaged 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.5 steals, Swoopes was an All Star who could fill a stat sheet.

On July 27, the Comets hosted the Detroit Shock. The Shock were 10-9 coming in to that game, but the Comets locked them down. Swoopes had 10 points and 10 rebounds by the 16:56 mark of the second half. She was subbed out two assists away from a triple-double with just under ten minutes to go with the game all but won, Houston leading 61-24.

At the 6:04 mark, Swoopes reentered, and she made quick work of history. Within two minutes back on the court, a Kara Wolters layup and Amaya Valdemoro hook shot gave her 10 assists and the league’s first triple-double. She added 3 steals and 2 blocks in 32 minutes of play, and Houston finished off the Shock 85-46 to improve to 17-4 on the way to their third straight title.

There just aren’t many players who can get 10 or more blocks. But in 2001, if anyone were going to, it would be Margo Dydek. By that point, the league’s all-time blocks leader already had eight games with seven or more blocks, something no one else had done to that point.

In the fourth game of the season for the Utah Starzz, Dydek and team were looking to rebound from consecutive losses at home against the Orlando Miracle. In a close game, Dydek had a double-double, including eight of eight from the free throw line. But as was often the case, Dydek saved the game with her defense.

With 17.4 seconds to go and the Starzz up 80-75, the Miracle’s Nykesha Sales got open for a three along the baseline. Then Dydek closed out, sending the shot attempt sailing out of bounds for her tenth block of the night. The Starzz closed out the game, winning 82-79, and Dydek had the league’s second triple-double, the first including double-digit blocks. She also set a new single-game record for blocks that wouldn’t be matched until, well, just keep reading.

Well, if anyone else in the WNBA was going to get double-digit blocks back in the early 2000s, it would be Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks. Already two-time champions, the Sparks were on a roll before coach Michael Cooper left to pursue another opportunity.

Regardless, the Sparks were 21-8 as the season was winding down, and Leslie was playing MVP-caliber basketball. Facing the defending champion Detroit Shock at home and coming off a loss, all Leslie did was pour in 29 points on 64.7% shooting from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line.

As if that wasn’t enough, her defense was on even another level. She grabbed 10 defensive rebounds (15 total) and blocked 10 shots, matching Dydek’s single-game record and recording the league’s third triple-double. To this day her 29 points is the most in a triple-double performance. The Sparks rolled to a 81-63 win, and Leslie would go on to pick up her second regular season MVP award the next month.

After the Shock were victims to two triple-doubles, Deanna “Tweety” Nolan made sure they were the beneficiary of one. At home to open the season against the Connecticut Sun, Nolan had the unenviable task of trying to make up for the injured Swin Cash.

“I basically told Deanna she was playing for me and her,” Cash told the Detroit Free Press after the game. “She needed to get twice as many.”

While her scoring did not double, she more than made up for it elsewhere, adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists to her 11 points. Unaware of the mounting accomplishment, she grabbed her 10th rebound with 15.7 seconds remaining as the Shock closed out the 78-67 win over the Sun.

Only one WNBA player has had two triple-doubles, and Swoopes’ second came in an important postseason situation. In a decisive third game of the Western Conference Semifinals against the defending champion Seattle Storm, the Comets had to win on the road to keep their season alive.

The Comets were as balanced as ever scoring-wise, with five players in double figures, but leave it to eventual MVP Swoopes to fill in the rest. Adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Swoopes led the Comets to the 75-58 win over Seattle to eliminate the Storm.

After 2005, there was a nearly nine-year gulf without another triple-double, despite several near-misses with double-doubles and eight or nine assists.

Starting in the place of the injured Sue Bird, Johnson had a big game for the Seattle Storm, who were in the middle of a rough patch. After the Liberty forced overtime, Johnson added a pair of rebounds for 10 total, to give her the league’s fifth regular season triple-double.

The Storm went on to lose the Liberty 84-80 in overtime, making Johnson the first player with a triple-double in a loss. At 5-foot-3, she is still the shortest player in WNBA history on this exclusive list.

The WNBA went through another brief hiatus from triple-doubles, though the Atlanta home crew tried to give us a couple in 2016 and one more on July 26, 2017. Just two nights after Layshia Clarendon had a triple-double rescinded, Candace Parker gave herself some padding to ensure hers would stand up.

Coming off their 2016 championship season, the Sparks were 15-6 and well on their back to the Playoffs to defend their throne. After a win in Seattle, the Sparks went on the road to San Antonio to take on the struggling 3-19 Stars.

The game was relatively close, but the Sparks put five in double figures, and Parker was dominant on the boards, pulling down 17 defensive rebounds in the most rebounds ever in a WNBA triple-double. She added 11 points and 11 assists for the second Sparks triple-double to help the Sparks to the 85-73 win.

Double-digit assists are nearly a given when Courtney Vandersloot is on the floor, and from the start of the 2017 season, she had WNBA fans all over anticipating a triple-double performance. With 13 points-assists double-doubles and a 12-point, 9-assist, 7-rebound game, it was just a matter of time.

In a high-scoring Chicago Sky home game against the Dallas Wings, both teams put five or more players in double figures, and Vandersloot made hay of the assist opportunities. With a career-high 15 assists, she added 13 points and 10 rebounds to secure the triple-double and the 114-99 Sky win.

“It felt good. It feels good to finally get a triple-double,” Vandersloot told reporters following the game, where she also set a franchise record for assists in a game and a half (10).