Ticha Penicheiro Has WNBA Career Come Back Into Spotlight
As Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark continues to break records, the names of some past WNBA legends have come into focus for many new fans. One of those is Ticha Penicheiro. Penicheiro holds the rookie mark for assists in a season, one Clark is sure to topple. The native of Portugal and longtime W standout tallied 225 dimes in 1998, with Caitlin sitting at 213 at the Olympic break. But while some may learn her name as Clark climbs the ranks, it is important to put respect on Ticha's game.
ticha penicheiro, the current holder of the single season rookie assist record, commenting on caitlin’s ig post 🥹 pic.twitter.com/rL1HEjgami
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) July 24, 2024
Penicheiro can be seen all over the assists leaderboard. She had 16 dimes in a game twice, including in her first year, which was the previous record before CC passed that and the benchmark for the entire W. Ticha played the bulk of her career for the now defunct Sacramento Monarchs, but her highlights have been given new life, even if the franchise no longer exists.
Penicheiro played 15 total seasons, making four All-Star teams, three All-WNBA teams, and winning the championship with Sacramento in 2005. She led the league in assists seven times and sits third all-time in total dimes. Ticha was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. However, now her name is starting to come back into focus, which is one of the benefits of the influx of attention around the W.
Ticha Penicheiro was a hooper.
— Ronald Cabang (@YoucapperSports) July 18, 2024
Portuguese Chocolate 😂
pic.twitter.com/nfuvaNd0wL
Penicheiro has shown no reluctance to pass the passing torch to Clark, consistently showing love to Caitlin on social media. Though, it must be nice to be on the receiving end of some love herself, as one of the great passers in basketball history is gaining renewed appreciation.
Love this post. Whole lotta dimes from Ticha over the years.
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) July 18, 2024
I had recently designed some Sabrina 1s that were a tribute to my hometown Monarchs and @TichaPenicheiro’s game: https://t.co/nLZYHwZo0S pic.twitter.com/o6arSKbQeu
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!