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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000258

SportsMost

Most Assists in a WNBA Career

Record holder

Sue BirdPerson

Record value

3,234 assists

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Seattle, Washington, United StatesAchievement date: 2022Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Sue Bird playing for the Seattle Storm in 2017

Sue Bird in WNBA action; relevant career image for her league-record totals.BDZ Sports / Amy Pearson / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Official record definition

The largest cumulative number of assists recorded by a player in WNBA regular-season games over a career, as measured by official league statistics.

Measurement methodology

Cumulative WNBA regular-season career assists, verified against official WNBA player biography and all-time statistics.

Measurement point: regular-season career assists

Record story

Sue Bird holds the WNBA record for career regular-season assists, finishing with 3,234 after her final season in 2022. She spent her entire WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, guiding teammates through nearly two decades of league competition. On 1 August 2017, Bird moved past Ticha Penicheiro to become the league's all-time assists leader, recording her 2,600th career assist. She continued to extend that total over the following five seasons. Her final regular-season game was played on 14 August 2022, and the official WNBA biography records 3,234 career assists across 580 games, all of which she started. The WNBA's all-time milestones published ahead of the 2026 season also places Bird first in career assists. This record measures cumulative assists in WNBA regular-season games, rather than assists in playoff games, international competitions, or a single season. JWR uses the league's primary statistical records to document the achievement and compare career totals.

Media

Record video
Official WNBA video of Bird passing Ticha Penicheiro to become the league's career assists leader.

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
27 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The official WNBA biography confirms Sue Bird retired with 3,234 regular-season career assists.

Superiority evidence

The WNBA all-time assists milestones list Bird first with 3,234 at the beginning of the 2026 season; the current ranking must be rechecked if later league statistics supersede it.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • A timeline of Jewish basketball star Sue Bird's legendary career — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • WNBA All-Time Milestones: Points, Rebounds and Assists — WNBA
  • Most Assists in a WNBA Career — Guinness World Records

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Sue Bird — WNBA career record context — WNBA

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

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Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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  • Ágnes Keleti, 2021Ágnes Keleti
  • Sue Bird, 2024Sue Bird
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Sports · Olympic Gamesmost / joint holders

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Woman

Record holder

Ágnes Keleti&Sue Bird

Record value

5 Olympic gold medals each

Ágnes Keleti and Sue Bird are the joint holders of the JWR record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish woman, with five gold medals each. Keleti won five Olympic gymnastics golds across the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games, as part of a ten-medal Olympic career. Bird won five consecutive Olympic basketball gold medals with the United States from Athens 2004 through Tokyo 2020, reaching her fifth on 8 August 2021. JWR’s comparison reviewed documented Jewish women Olympic champions across sports and found no eligible athlete with more than five official Olympic gold medals. Because the two athletes reached the same verified maximum through different sports and eras, the record is held jointly rather than broken by secondary criteria. The record value is therefore five Olympic gold medals each, with Bird’s fifth gold establishing the current tie.

Country represented
Hungary & United States
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Sue Bird playing for the Seattle Storm in 2017
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
SportsMost

Most Games Played in a WNBA Career

Record holder

Sue Bird

Record value

580 games

Sue Bird established the record for the Most Games Played in a WNBA Career with a final career total of "580 games". This achievement represents the greatest number of regular-season games played by one player. Her career spanned from 2002 to 2022, with all games played for the Seattle team in the United States. The final record total was set at the conclusion of her career in 2022.

Country represented
United States
Achievement location
Seattle, Washington, United States
Achievement date
2022
View full record
Mark Spitz at swimming championships in Freiburg, July 1980
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Athlete

Record holder

Mark Spitz

Record value

9 Olympic gold medals

American swimmer Mark Spitz holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish athlete, with a career total of '9 Olympic gold medals'. His achievement was secured across two Summer Olympic Games and was completed on 4 September 1972. Two of his gold medals came from relay events at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, followed by a historic seven gold medals at the 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany. Notably, every one of Spitz's seven winning performances in Munich set a new world record.

Country represented
United States
Achievement locations
Mexico City, Mexico (1968); Munich, West Germany (1972)
Achievement date
4 September 1972
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