The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese is dominating the WNBA Rookie of the Year race.
Clark, the Fever’s first overall pick in this year’s draft, earned ROTY honors midway through the season, beating Reese, the Sky’s seventh pick. According to the Associated Press.
The AP asked a panel of 15 voters, who also rank the AP Power Poll each week, to cast their vote, with Clark receiving nine votes, Rees receiving five and one abstention.
With their college rivalry carrying over into the WNBA and the league seeing a huge increase in viewership and revenue, both rookie sensations could make a compelling case.
Reese led the LSU Tigers to their first ever championship in 2023 with a win over Clark and Iowa. The former LSU forward also helped fuel the rivalry by waving his hand in front of Clark’s face at the end of the game, making his famous “Can’t you see me?” gesture.
Iowa defeated LSU in the Elite Eight of this year’s women’s NCAA tournament.
Both Clarke and Reese have etched their names into the WNBA record books while playing key roles as starters for their respective teams.
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Reese, 22, set a new WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13 in Sunday’s 84-71 loss to the Storm in Chicago, surpassing the previous record of 12 set by Candace Parker in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
The LSU product, who leads the league in rebounds with 11.9 per game, finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Clark, meanwhile, is reviving the Fever in her first WNBA season.
Clark’s scoring prowess carried over from her collegiate days, as the former Iowa State point guard became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer as a senior and led the Hokies to consecutive appearances in the national championship game.
On Sunday, she etched her name into the WNBA record books, becoming the first rookie in league history to record a triple-double in the Fever’s 83-78 win over the Liberty.
Clark had 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in the Fever’s impressive 17-4 victory over the Liberty, which is tied with the Sun for the best record in the WNBA.
Clark and Reese are the only rookies selected for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which begins on July 20 in Phoenix.
“I know everybody’s excited, but I don’t want it to take away from anybody else’s excitement,” Clark said of her and Reese’s All-Star selections. “This is a huge accomplishment for the entire U.S. National Team and the entire WNBA National Team. They all deserve the same accolades. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and be the sole focus of All-Star Weekend, because that wouldn’t be fair to them.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to go back there again, so I’m going to enjoy the experience.”
Clark hasn’t yet said whether he will participate in the 3-point contest. Last Friday I said, That remains to be seen.
“We’ll see what happens. I don’t know, I haven’t decided, I don’t know. I can’t give you all the answers today.”
Clark and Reese also continue to dominate the NIL field.
The Fever guard’s first Wilson specialty basketball went on sale Tuesday.
Reese confirmed in May that he was planning to launch his own signature Reebok sneaker line.
At this point in the season, the national voting committee has unanimously selected Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson as the national player of the year, according to the Associated Press.
Wilson, a two-time WNBA champion, two-time league MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 27.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks this season, which are already better numbers than she will have in 2023. He finished third in the MVP voting.
The Nike athlete, whose signature shoe, the A’One, will be released in 2025, became the Aces’ all-time leading scorer in Sunday’s 104-85 win over the Wings.
Wilson will face Clark and Reese in the WNBA All-Star Game.
Wilson will represent the U.S. team that will include WNBA stars at the Paris Olympics, while Clark and Reese will be teammates on a WNBA team for the first time.
The WNBA All-Star Game will air on ABC, with ESPN broadcasting the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest on July 19 at 6 p.m.
