On The Athletic’s women’s basketball show, analyst Zena Keita falsely claimed that rookie Olivia Miles set the WNBA single-season rookie assist record, beating Caitlin Clark.
Fans were quick to point out that Clark’s mark of 337 assists remains untouched, calling out the show for a lack of basic fact-checking.
WNBA Fans Slam The Athletic Analyst Over Inaccurate Olivia Miles-Caitlin Clark Record Claim
The Athletic came under heavy fire from WNBA fans after an analyst made a major statistical error on air.
During a recent episode of No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, analyst Keita reviewed notable individual performances from around the league.
While discussing Minnesota Lynx rookie guard Miles, Keita claimed that Miles had set the all-time WNBA rookie assist record this season.
“Olivia Miles has also made her mark this season, setting the all-time WNBA rookie assist record, and she’s been doing it with a flash,” Keita said.
“Olivia Miles has also made her mark this season setting the all time WNBA rookie assist record.”
Except she didn’t and isn’t even close to it
2024 Caitlin Clark: 337 assists in 40 games (8.4 APG)
2026 Olivia Miles: 227 assists in 37 games (6.1 APG)
LMFAO get it right pic.twitter.com/48e19xRrKG
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 30, 2026
However, that claim is completely false. Miles is having a fantastic rookie campaign in Minnesota, but she is nowhere near the top spot on that specific list.
Back in 2024, Indiana Fever point guard Clark set the all-time WNBA rookie assist record by recording 337 assists over 40 regular-season games, averaging 8.4 assists per contest.
In comparison, Miles has posted 227 assists in 37 games during her 2026 rookie season, averaging 6.1 assists per game. Although at the top of the list for 2026, that still leaves Miles more than 100 assists short of Clark’s historic 2024 mark.
As soon as the clip circulated on X, fans flooded comment sections to criticize the network for failing to run basic fact-checks before broadcasting.
One user questioned the lack of accountability for media figures, writing:
“When are these people going to be held accountable for their lies? Embarrassing”
When are these people going to be held accountable for their lies? Embarrassing
— Rudy Harlan (@RudyHarlan8) August 30, 2026
Another fan called out the lack of research behind the claim.
“Who does facts checks for all these folks? Like this is so absurd and terrible journalism(if you can even call this journalism),” they wrote.
Who does facts checks for all these folks? Like this is so absurd and terrible journalism(if you can even call this journalism)
— ~wale (@ncwmf7) August 30, 2026
One X user brought up previous controversial comments made by the analyst regarding Clark, writing:
“I’m crying that’s the same lady who said Caitlin is not the birthday and needs to be benched for Raven nvm makes sense”
Another user pointed out that the issue was purely about media standards, not about criticizing the rookie.
“This not even miles hate but where is the quality control man what production doing 😭😭😭😭” they wrote.
Despite the media blunder, both players are giving fans plenty to celebrate on the court. Miles has been fantastic in her debut year, putting up nearly 20 points per game while helping guide the Lynx straight into the playoffs as title contenders.
Meanwhile, Clark has been elite since her rookie year and has again led the Fever into the postseason this year.
