All-Time WNBA Play-by-Play & PxP-derived Statistics Added to Basketball Reference

We are thrilled to announce that we have drastically expanded our coverage of WNBA Play-by-Play, as well statistics derived from Play-by-Play, at Basketball Reference. Previously our Play-by-Play went back to 2016. and our PxP-derived statistics went back t0 2018. However, now we have coverage for over 99.7% of games in WNBA history. We’re currently missing just 17 games (regular-season and postseason) in the history of the league and are confident we can source most of the missing material over time. The coverage is 100% complete back through 2016 and no season is missing more than 3 games (2006, 2000 and 1998).

This new information appears in several different places. Here’s a quick rundown of some places you can find this material:

• • • Box Scores: For instance, here’s the Liberty/Sparks box score from June 21, 1997, opening day for the WNBA. You’ll notice the box has links for Play-by-Play, Shot Charts and Plus/Minus. Those links are all new for games from 1997-2015 and offer additional context on the events of the game.
    • Team Pages: We now having Shooting tables and Play-by-Play tables all the way back to 1997. Additionally, we now have team Lineups and On/Off pages back to 1997.
    • Season Player Stat Registers: Play-by-Play tables and Shooting tables are now populated all the way back to 1997 on these pages, which allow you to compare all of the players in the league for a given season.
    • Player Pages: Like team pages, Shooting tables and Play-by-Play tables now have coverage all the way back to 1997. Players also have Shot Charts, Lineups and On/Off pages back to 1997. While most statistics derived from Play-by-Play are available all the way back to 1997, we currently only have Fouls Drawn statistics populated back to 2006.

Here’s a few interesting insights into some of the newly expanded play-by-play based statistics:

As most are aware, Caitlin Clark has had a remarkable season in terms of box score stats. She has also had a unique season in terms of play-by-play based statistics. Her 148 ‘bad pass’ turnovers thus far have blown away the previous record of 84 by Chantel Tremitiere in the WNBA’s inaugural season. Meanwhile. her total points generated by assists this season (734) are the third-highest total in WNBA history. The record is 749 by Courtney Vandersloot in 2023.

Her fellow standout rookie, Angel Reese, meanwhile, has also had some outlier numbers. She has had her shot blocked 76 times this season, shattering the old record of 53…