Tamika Catchings is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in WNBA history. The basketball Hall of Famer, who spent her entire 15-year career with the Indiana Fever, is a WNBA champion, an MVP, a Finals MVP, a 10-time All-Star and a five-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Catchings, who has career averages of 16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals, is the only player in history to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds and steals. She's actually first all-time in steals with 1,074.
That being said, it's not surprising that ESPN ranked her as the second greatest WNBA player ever back in 2021, only behind the great Diana Taurasi.
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
On Tuesday, however, Catchings fell out of the top five in a specific WNBA record book. She was initially fifth in all-time rebounds with 3,316 in her career, but Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike has since surpassed her.
Entering the Sparks' showdown with the Las Vegas Aces, Ogwumike needed just two rebounds to surpass Catchings. She finished with 12 boards in the contest to bring her tally to 3,327 and officially crack the top five.
Considering that Ogwumike is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game this season, she's on track to also surpass Rebekkah Brunson (3,356) and Candace Parker (3,467) on the all-time rebounding list and reach the top three by the end of the 2026 regular season.
Despite losing her spot on the rebounding leaderboard, though, Catchings' status as an all-time WNBA great is all but cemented. While many of her records will likely be broken as the league progresses, her legacy and impact on the game will forever be remembered.
