Brittney Griner's All-Star Teammate Makes WNBA History on Friday

Brittney Griner's All-Star Teammate Makes WNBA History on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Atlanta Dream haven't finished with a winning record since the 2018 season. But right now, they're making a strong case that they're legitimate contenders for this year's WNBA championship.

The arrival of future Hall of Famer Brittney Griner, a two-time scoring champion and Defensive Player of the Year, has undoubtedly infused them with superpowers they had previously lacked. But another factor has been the continued fine play of guard Rhyne Howard.

She entered Friday averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game, and while she isn't exactly an efficient shooter, she is a high-volume 3-point shooter. Against the Seattle Storm on Friday, she set a new franchise record.

Howard is Now the Dream's Preeminent 3-Point Shooter

Howard scored a team-high 21 points vs. Storm and hit one of her four 3-point attempts. That made her the franchise's new all-time leader in made 3-point field goals.

The woman who previously held that record was Tiffany Hayes, who left Atlanta following the 2022 campaign.

HISTORY IS HERS! 👑

In just her fourth season, @howard_rhyne secured her first triple of the night to pass Tiffany Hayes (325) and become the Atlanta Dream’s all-time leader in made threes.#DoItForTheDreampic.twitter.com/ChIN7LLvp8

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) August 16, 2025

Howard was recently named to her fourth WNBA All-Star Game in her four seasons. She was the league's Rookie of the Year in 2022, and prior to that, she was named the SEC Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021 while at Kentucky.

In addition to her ability to put pressure on opponents with her outside shooting, she has proved to be capable of mucking up the game on the defensive end. She came into Friday with a career average of 1.6 steals a game.

Unfortunately for Howard, the Dream lost, 80-78. They trailed by as many as 15 points, and although they made a nice rally in the fourth quarter and briefly held a lead, they fell short in the end.

The Ultimate Dream for Atlanta is Still Alive

Despite Friday's loss, Atlanta has the second-best record in the WNBA at 21-12 but right behind the defending world champion New York Liberty, who are at the 2nd place.

Atlanta ranks second in offensive rating and third in defensive rating, as well as second in net rating.

While Griner may not be the force she was as recently as last year, she's still contributing 10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.8 minutes a game. The experience she gained winning the WNBA title with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014 will help down the stretch.

The Dream will face the Liberty next Saturday, Aug. 23 at home. They have lost two of their three games so far this season versus Sabrina Ionescu and crew, including a 79-72 decision on July 13.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.