The numbers are tallied, and in an almost unanimous vote, Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark wins the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She loses that perfect vote to her nemesis, Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese.
The WNBA announced that the Fever guard received 66 votes from a panel of 67 sportswriters and broadcasters. The lone vote that did not go to Clark was placed for Reese. It’s the second straight year a Fever rookie has won the award. Aliyah Boston took home the honor last season.
Although Reese had an amazing season, breaking several records along the way, her season ended early when she suffered a wrist injury, which led to surgery. The battle between Reese and Clark made for an exciting season for the league, igniting interest in the WNBA that had never been seen before both women entered the league this year.
Clark did something Reese was unable to do: lead her team to the playoffs. The Fever lost the opening series to the Connecticut Sun. Clark helped her team improve their win total for this season to 20-20 after the Fever had a 13-27 record last year. The Fever also made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Reese’s team did not qualify for the playoffs and ended the season with a 13-27 record, the third-worst in the league.
According to ESPN, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals during her first season in the WNBA. Meanwhile, Reese averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in the 34 games she appeared in.
With 3337 assists, Clark set a WNBA single-season record. She also had two other WNBA single-season rookie records with 769 points and 122 three-pointers made. Clark led the league in three-pointers made.
Clark will be rewarded $5,150 with a trophy to commemorate the honor.
RELATED CONTENT: Angel Reese Wants Spotlight Back On Current Team USA As Media Eyes 2028 Squad