Caitlin Clark was named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year earlier this week, which surprised nobody. Well, except maybe one person.
Despite a historic season in which she broke numerous league records, Clark was not a unanimous selection for the award.
Sixty-seven total votes were cast, and 66 went to Clark. The other? Angel Reese.
Members of the “WNBA Countdown” panel on ESPN were stunned Clark’s selection wasn’t unanimous.
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever (22) and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky during a game June 1, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
“Hats off to Caitlin. Should have been unanimous, but I’m just gonna stop there,” Andraya Carter said.
She, in fact, did not stop there. Instead, Carter blasted the voter who checked off Reese’s name and said that voter should be revealed. WNBA voters are anonymous.
“And this is why we would love for the WNBA to make voting not anonymous,” Carter said. “Because if you were the person that had that one vote, you should just be able to stand on it. And we should know who you are.
“In the NBA, voting is not anonymous. So, I would love for the WNBA to make the voting so we see who put the votes where.”
Angel Reese, center, and Caitlin Clark, right, of Team WNBA during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game July 20, 2024, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
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There was certainly an argument earlier in the season after Reese shattered a WNBA record herself with 15 consecutive double-doubles.
However, Clark separated herself after the Olympic break, and Reese’s season ended early due to an injury.
Clark widened her lead in nearly every statistical category in the weeks before and after Reese’s season ended. On top of that, she led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in eight years as the team’s leading scorer.
Reese, despite setting the WNBA record for most rebounds in a season (her record was later broken by MVP A’ja Wilson due to Reese’s injury), 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.
LSU’s Angel Reese, left, and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, pose for a photo before the WNBA draft April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
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Reese and Clark’s reputations, fan bases and longstanding rivalry have been tied to their respective races dating back to their meeting in the 2023 NCAA national championship game. Reese and LSU defeated Clark and Iowa, and Reese pointed to her finger to boast in a viral moment that drew intense backlash and support.
Clark’s Fever went 3-1 against Reese and the Sky this season. Both were the only rookies named All-Stars this year.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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