Saniya Rivers: Second Player in Sun Franchise History to Hit This Key Milestone

The Connecticut Sun have found some hope as of late, as their young core finds some momentum, including a rapidly improving Saniya Rivers.

Aug 25, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) sets the play while defended by New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) during the second half at Barclays Center. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The Connecticut Sun have had a difficult 2025 season, with a 10-30 record to their name. Things have really stagnated a bit once again after a few wins in a row. With that said, the good news is that the franchise is starting to find some building blocks, with three rookies stepping up lately, as Leïla Lacan, Aneesah Morrow, and Saniya Rivers have all had outstanding second halves of the year.

Rivers has managed to put together an exceptional rookie campaign so far, with production both on offense and defense, while also facilitating and producing positive looks for her teammates. This has been one of the most impressive points of her game, not just the scoring, but her overall versatility.

This has been seen in a recent benchmark as well, as Rivers has tied one other Sun player all-time for a certain group of stats that have been reached. It includes multiple key counting stats that Rivers has managed to accrue over the course of the year, and will continue to produce with multiple games remaining.

What Benchmark Did Saniya Rivers Tie, and Who Else Has Accomplished It?

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The benchmark attained by Rivers is hitting 300+ points, 100+ rebounds, 100+ assists and 50+ steals in her rookie season. The only other Connecticut player to hit these numbers was Shannon Johnson, who, in her first and only year with the Sun in 2003, also completed this impressive feat.

The rook is makin’ noise 🔊

Saniya Rivers has totaled 300+ PTS, 100+ REB, 100+ AST, & 50+ STL to join Shannon Johnson as the second rookie in @connecticutsun franchise history to reach those benchmarks in a season!#WelcometotheW

Postseason Push | @DraftKings pic.twitter.com/vm7mg9eeDR

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 1, 2025

In that 2003 season, Johnson was an All-Star and received a few MVP votes, enough to land No. 12 on the list that year. Rivers has managed to not only hit these same numbers in 2025, but she also did it in her rookie season, with 15 of her 38 appearances being off the bench as well.

It has become abundantly clear that Rivers is going to be a long-term franchise cornerstone for Connecticut, as she continues to improve week by week in many different facets of her game. Her defense has been outstanding all year long, but her offense is also starting to take strides, and her facilitating is as well.

Having a player who can either start or come off the bench and provide good to great production in pretty much every component of the game is a great thing, especially with such a young roster. As the Connecticut Sun look to build towards the future and find the best rotation of players long-term, Rivers will no doubt be one of the key pieces of that vision.

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