As their teams battle for the final spot in the WNBA playoffs, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark currently leads Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese in the race for Rookie of the Year honors, according to a national voting panel.
Clark and Reese have garnered national attention with record-breaking rookie seasons, making them the first rookie duo to make an All-Star team since 2014. It’s no surprise then that they are leading candidates for the award.
Thanks to them, the competition has grown significantly in terms of viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. And with so many basketball games yet to be played, it can be argued that one of them should win the prize.
But halfway through, the 15-member panel gave Clark the upper hand in a 9-5 vote, according to The Associated Press. One person did not vote.
“Today I would pick Clark just because they have one more win as a team and a 2-1 head-to-head advantage,” said voter Christy Winters-Scott, a basketball analyst for the Mystics.
Angel Reese recently set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13
Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA in points scored (points plus points from assists)
“That can clearly change as the WNBA season progresses. It has been a great pleasure for me to see how both players have developed into professionals in such a short time in the league.”
Clark leads the WNBA in points (points plus points from assists) with 713, according to ESPN. The No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever also became the first rookie to have a triple-double in a game, doing so in a win over New York.
Reese set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13, breaking Candace Parker’s record of 12 set in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She leads the league in rebounding with 11.9 per game.
Reese and Clark are preparing to be teammates for the first time at the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game on July 20, when they take on Team USA in a warmup for the Olympic Games in Paris.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been her teammate before, not even with USA Basketball or anything like that,” Clark said of Reese last week. “So I know people are going to be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everyone else.”
Reese points to her ring finger after performing John Cena’s ‘You Can’t See Me’ on Clark in 2023
While Reese had previously said she hoped to one day be a teammate with her former college rival, her tone has certainly changed since turning pro.
In addition to Reese’s much-publicized foul against Clark on June 16, she told reporters last month that the WNBA’s top pick in the draft is benefiting from a “special whistle” from officials.
And then there’s the 2023 NCAA Championship, when Reese directed wrestler John Cena’s famous “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture at Clark, who had similarly challenged another player earlier in the same tournament.
Clark and Reese are inextricably linked in the history of women’s basketball.
Their 2023 NCAA Finals game, which saw Reese’s LSU Tigers win a national championship over Clark’s Hawkeyes, remains one of the highest-rated games in the history of the sport. And their April 4 rematch in the Elite 8 ultimately surpassed that mark.