Alyssa Thomas Makes WNBA History With Third Straight Triple Double

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 29: Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Phoenix Mercury dribbles up the floor during the first half against the Las Vegas Aces at PHX Arena on June 29, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Alyssa Thomas still has work to do while polishing an MVP résumé and solidifying a top seed for the Phoenix Mercury. Part of that journey, though, is consistently raising the bar and making it harder for contemporaries to match her greatness.

Thomas made history – yet again – Thursday night, becoming the only player to log a triple double in three consecutive games.

Before that instance, there was only one player to achieve it in two straight games: Alyssa Thomas, numerous times with the Connecticut Sun.

She is now making a habit out of the ‘joining herself’ stat-lines.

The latest performance was similar to her entire 2025 campaign: Sublime, efficient, and selfless. She finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, while continuing to build on her career-high True Shooting mark (56.9%). She’s shooting 66.9% at the rim, also the best of her 12-year career.

As the fourth quarter was winding down Thursday, her teammates were visibly amped to lift her into the record books. They weren’t going to let her get subbed out with nine assists. Every pass she threw, whether in a halfcourt or transition setting, was met with an immediate shot attempt. Everyone knew the assignment.

The Mercury cruised to a 35-point blowout, the team’s third-highest margin of victory in franchise history. Phoenix is currently three wins ahead of last year’s pace after 30 games. With Thomas leading the way, there’s more cohesion on the court, fewer defensive mistakes, more accountability, and simply better vibes.

This is the first year Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has been able to spend time with Thomas, which includes watching her lead every day.

After a few months around her, the only thing that surprises Tibbetts is how underrated she remains in the grand scheme of WNBA discourse.

“AT is an unbelievable player,” Tibbetts said after the win. “She would probably be the first to tell you, or wouldn’t want to talk about it … but I think she’s been overlooked her whole career on how great she is. Just the way that she plays is special. She competes on each and every possession defensively. She wants to see her teammates succeed with the way she passes the ball.”

Thomas now has 19 triple doubles throughout her career – 15 with Connecticut and four with Phoenix.

Not only is that more than quadruple the next player on the list, Sabrina Ionescu, but it’s more than players 2-8 combined.

In some ways, are triple doubles an arbitrary achievement? Sure.

After all, sports audiences are infatuated by round numbers and triple doubles don’t always correlate with impact. Like anything else, the proper context should be applied. Thomas could still be squarely in the MVP hunt if she routinely delivered 25-point performances with seven rebounds and six assists.

But that’s not the type of player she is.

The phrase “one of one” is a descriptor of Thomas, and not only because she’s accumulating unprecedented box scores. It’s because of her uncanny ability to control a game without attempting more than 12 shots.

She doesn’t try to rack up triple doubles – it’s her natural cadence and personality that allows her to walk casually into each one.

And if she did chase them for fun? It shouldn’t matter, as long as the Mercury are fulfilling their primary goal of winning. Sitting at 19-11, only a half-game out of second place in the standings, I’d say they’re in solid shape on that front.

During a five-month season, which can feel like a grind, you need joy and entertainment. You need measurable targets, both on the individual and team level. But most importantly, players need realistic, achievable benchmarks to celebrate with their teammates.

Without the triple double excitement, we probably don’t hear the thunderous ovation in PHX Arena Thursday night, with MVP chants reverberating through the lower bowl. We also probably don’t get Thomas’ teammates losing their minds on the bench when history was made, capped by Kahleah Copper passionately shouting into the microphone who her MVP vote would be.

By the time she hangs up the sneakers and walks away from the sport, which won’t be any time soon, Thomas will become synonymous with the triple double – the same way someone uttering the words “Caitlin Clark” automatically gives you a visualization of her launching 30-foot bombs.

Excluding Thomas, we’ve seen 1,130 players appear in at least one game throughout WNBA history. That’s over the course of 29 seasons. In the last week alone, Thomas has registered more triple doubles than 1,127 of those players logged in their careers.

That’s not just impressive. It’s proof that she’s brought a unique style to the league since being drafted in 2014, and she will be an inspiration to future stars who still want to leave a major imprint on the game without being a top-tier scorer.

With only 345 career games under her belt, Thomas is already eighth on the all-time leaderboard in assists (on the verge of becoming seventh), and 12th in total rebounds. She will stand out as the statistical anomaly of this era, valuing the other components of the game instead of high-volume scoring.

Still only 33 years old, she will inevitably put herself in elite conversations if she opts to play another five to seven years.

Nicknames are often silly in sports, and not exactly reflective of the player’s identity or tendencies.

Thomas doesn’t fall into that category.

Billed as “The Engine,” it’s a direct representation of what she provides for the Mercury. It’s also what allows her to stand out and separate herself from the pack in a league surging in popularity.

She is the WNBA’s version of Nikola Jokic, reading the floor and dictating the terms of every possession to generate the best possible outcome. She can also be a version of Giannis Antetokounmpo, gobbling rebounds and operating as the de facto point guard in those grab-and-go scenarios while creating easy transition points.

But let’s be honest. Future Hall-of-Famers would rather carve their own path, in their own league.

She’s the WNBA’s Alyssa Thomas. Just like the statistical feats we witness every week … the only comparison she needs is herself.