Caitlin Clark was selected WNBA Rookie of the Year by 66 of 67 voters. Many of the 66 who did vote for her have been quick to declare their innocence in voting against her.
When Clark was announced the winner of the award Thursday, it was revealed the one vote against her went to Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, Clark’s rival.
Multiple WNBA media members who voted for this year’s award made claims on social media that they did not vote for Reese and voted for Clark instead.
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The voter who chose Reese had not identified himself or herself before the time of publication. That voter’s actions in selecting Reese has ignited controversy across social media. Multiple social media users have criticized the decision.
Clark would have become the fifth WNBA player in the league’s history to unanimously win Rookie of the Year, joining teammate Aliyah Boston, who won it last season; league MVP A’ja Wilson in 2018; Elena Delle Donne in 2013; and Tina Charles in 2010. Statistically, Clark’s rookie year this year was superior to any of those players as rookies.
INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL
Clark broke multiple league and franchise records in her first WNBA season, including the single-season record for assists, the rookie scoring record and most points by a guard in a single season in WNBA history.
Reese was considered a dark horse contender for the honor behind Clark for the first few months of the season. However, her rookie campaign was cut short after she underwent season-ending surgery on her wrist after being injured Sept. 6.
Clark widened her lead in nearly every statistical category in the weeks prior to and after Reese’s season ended.
Prior to that, in head-to-head matchups this year, the Fever beat the Sky three out of four times. In two of those contests, Reese put up more points than Clark, while pulling down more rebounds than Clark in all four meetings. Clark registered more assists in all four meetings.
Angel Reese of the LSU Lady Tigers, right, reacts toward Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter of the 2023 NCAA Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center April 2, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Clark led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in eight years as the team’s leading scorer.
Reese was the third-leading scorer on a Chicago team that finished the season with a 13-27 record, third-worst in the league, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The one statistic Reese held an edge over Clark was rebounds, with more than twice as many rebounds per game at 13.1 compared to Clark’s 5.7. Reese has a natural height advantage at 6-foot-3, compared to Clark at 6-foot.
But Clark held advantages in points with 19.2 to Reese’s 13.6 per game, assists with 8.4 to Reese’s 1.9 and even blocks with 0.7 to Reese’s 0.5, despite the height disadvantage.
Like Clark, Reese also broke a WNBA single-season record during her rookie year, breaking the single-season record for rebounds with 418 during a game against the Minnesota Lynx Sept. 2. Unlike Clark, Reese did not hold that record by the end of the season. After Reese’s season-ending surgery, MVP A’ja Wilson broke Reese’s record in the final week of the season, when Wilson recorded her 419th rebound.
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during the first half at Wintrust Arena in Chicago Aug. 25, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
Despite the statistical discrepancies between Clark and Reese, the Sky rookie had her passionate supporters this year who argued her case over Clark.
Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, a 6-foot-11 center who specialized in rebounding and dominating in the paint, told Fox News Digital he would vote for Reese over Clark for Rookie of the Year if he had a say during an interview at NBA Night at the Emirates Suite at the U.S. Open in early September.
“I would say Angel Reese,” Noah said. “When I look at her play, she reminds me a lot of myself.”
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