Over the last few weeks, much of the conversation around the WNBA has been dominated by the transgender athlete eligibility debate. Now, the focus is slowly shifting back to what is happening on the court.
However, sports journalist Jason Whitlock has flagged another issue with the league: its growing obsession with statistics and individual records.
Jason Whitlock Calls Out WNBA’s Stat Culture
A social media user shared a post pointing toward Alyssa Thomas and Olivia Miles. The user claimed that Thomas has seemingly stopped looking for her own shots and is instead focused on increasing her assist numbers.
The post also took aim at Miles, suggesting that she is not contributing enough in the playmaking department while focusing more on increasing her scoring numbers.
“Alyssa Thomas stopped shooting and is just out here chasing assists now. Olivia Miles getting 0 assists while her team loses and she’s shooting more than anyone else on her team bcuz she’s chasing a rookie scoring record. CC got all these broads losing their minds lol,” the user wrote on X.
Whitlock shared the post and used it to criticize the WNBA as a whole. According to him, the league has become too focused on chasing statistics and creating new records.
The sports analyst even included stars such as Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell in his broader criticism, arguing that the entire WNBA has become heavily driven by individual numbers.
“This is true. The entire WNBA, including CC & KM, chase stats. No league in history has been more stat-centric than the W. I don’t blame the players. Social media demands new stats/records on a daily. The first to reach this combination, the first to do this, blah, blah…,” Whitlock wrote on X.
This is true. The entire WNBA, including CC & KM, chase stats. No league in history has been more stat-centric than the W. I don’t blame the players. Social media demands new stats/records on a daily. The first to reach this combination, the first to do this, blah, blah… https://t.co/ur4wdTITZK
— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) August 31, 2026
After Sunday’s road game against the Atlanta Dream, where the Minnesota Lynx guard scored 21 points, Miles pushed her 2026 season total to 749 points. That leaves her just 21 points shy of breaking Caitlin Clark’s all-time WNBA rookie scoring record of 769.
Then there’s Thomas. She’s currently averaging 14.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists this season. She’s the league leader in total assists with 320. It’s true that numbers like that are impossible to ignore. And they’re exactly the kind of thing that fuels the stat-padding argument Whitlock is making.
Clark isn’t off the hook either, even if she’s been dealing with the break caused by the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Before that pause, a stat was making the rounds on social media about her stringing together three straight 20-plus-point games. She dropped 21 points against the Liberty, followed it up with 37 points against the Chicago Sky, and then scored 34 points against the Sun.
Whitlock’s point is that stats are gold for social media engagement, and more engagement means more attention, which means more money for the league.
It has just become the reality of how the WNBA gets covered these days, whether players, fans, or the league itself actually wants it that way or not.
