ESPN released a new ranking of its top 50 players in the WNBA right now and - as with any ranking - ruffled some feathers with how it ranked some of them. Naturally, Caitlin Clark ranked near the top.
The ranking was a collaboration between Kareem Copeland, Michael Vopel, Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou. Coming in at No. 1 was the reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson (to the surprise of absolutely no one). At No. 2 was Wilson's Las Vegas Aces teammate Kelsey Plum.
Clark came in No. 3, with Copeland writing the blurb explaining her ranking. He pointed out that she ranks in the top three in multiple key categories and is having a career year. Copeland declared that Clark might actually be "the best playmaker in the league" right now.
"Any worries that Clark wouldn't return to form after an injury-laden 2025 were quickly put to rest. The two-time All-Star is averaging career highs in points and shooting percentage, and her 3-point percentage is back up to 34.4%. She's No. 3 in the league in points per game, No. 2 in assists and No. 2 in usage. Clark just ended a stretch of six straight games of 20-plus points and five-plus assists -- the longest streak in WNBA history. Between the vision and scoring prowess, she might be the best playmaker in the league," Copeland wrote.
Fans Weigh In
As mentioned earlier, any ranking is going to have people disagreeing with it. This one was no exception:
"A’ja at #1 is the only thing on this list that isn’t debatable. Plum at 2 is spicy given the games played, but her numbers are nasty when healthy. Clark at 3 with the usage and playmaking is fair. The real story is how deep this league is two rookies in the top 6 is wild. WNBA is actually fun to watch this year," one user remarked.
"Breanna Stewart is # 2. Kesley Plum shouldn’t be top 5. Kahleah shouldn’t be top 20 with her shooting splits this season," another argued.
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"Now list them in order defensively and see who the true top 3 are lol," a third wrote.
"Putting Caitlin Clark at number 3, ahead of Olivia Miles and Kelsey Mitchell is crazy work. This whole list is invalid."
"Breanna Stewart at 5 should be a criminal offense. She’s still, IMO, just a shade behind Wilson. The ongoing disrespect of her by ESPN is absolutely wild to me."
You can't please everybody.
