Former Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard sets another WNBA record

Rhyne Howard went from setting record after record during her time at Kentucky to doing the exact same thing in the WNBA.

Now in her second season with the Atlanta Dream, which selected her No. 1 overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Howard is already off to another hot start. Coming off an impressive rookie campaign that saw her win Rookie of the Year, sophomore Rhyne Howard is already etching her name into the history books just a couple of weeks into the 2023 season.

On Friday, Howard recorded her 100th made three-pointer in her still-young pro career, becoming the fastest player in the league history to hit that mark, needing just 40 games to do so. The former Kentucky women’s basketball superstar finished with 15 points on three made triples in a loss to the New York Liberty.

“There’s always something you can celebrate, and that’s definitely one of them,” Dream head coach Taylor Wright said of Howard’s record.

Rhyne Howard has made 100 3-pointers in her career.

She is now the fastest player to 100 3s in WNBA history (40 games). pic.twitter.com/osWXy3xw19

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 10, 2023

The previous record was held by Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper, who needed 41 games to reach 100 made three-pointers, which she accomplished in 1998.

This wasn’t the first WNBA record for the 23-year-old from Tennessee, either. Howard set a rookie record in 2022 for most made threes, finishing with 85 on the season and breaking a record that stood for 20 years.

Following a successful rookie season with the Dream that saw Howard also named to the All-Star Team, she’s been upping her stats in year two. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 31.3 minutes per game for Atlanta, which is currently 2-4 on the season. Howard’s shooting numbers have improved too as she’s up to 39.1 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from deep through six games this year.

Howard’s best game of the 2023 season so far came nearly two weeks ago on May 30 when she dropped 20 points on 8-11 shooting (2-4 from distance) with four rebounds in an 18-point victory over the Chicago Sky. She’ll once again be a candidate to make the All-Star Team this season, which you can help vote her into by clicking the link here.