A beaming Caitlin Clark has finally got her hands on the WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy after fending off competition from Angel Reese to win the coveted award.
The Indiana Fever sensation received a staggering 66 votes out of 67 to claim the prize after a historic rookie season – with one unnamed reporter sparking controversy by selecting Chicago Sky forward Reese instead.
That is despite the former LSU star failing to make it through to the postseason with Chicago, while Clark guided Indiana to its first playoff berth since 2016.
Nevertheless, the worst kept secret in the WNBA was finally confirmed on Thursday after Clark, who is currently at the center of another fierce race row, was named Rookie of the Year on the back of her record-breaking debut campaign.
One day later she posed with the award in a photo shared by the Fever, who were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun last week.
A beaming Caitlin Clark has finally got her hands on the WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy
Angel Reese earned herself one vote out of 67 to ensure Clark did not receive a clean sweep
Although it wasn’t announced until Thursday, Clark learned she’d be winning Rookie of the Year at a Fever practice before the team’s playoff opener in Connecticut last week. The Fever would go on to be swept 2-0, bringing their season to an abrupt end, but not until after the excitement over her first major WNBA award.
While a whopping 98.5 percent of voters – who were made up of two local journalists from each WNBA market and a collection of national writers – selected her as their winner, it wasn’t a unanimous victory for the Indiana hero after Reese earned herself one vote out of 67.
Fans are desperate to know who the mysterious electorate is, which has led to several reporters taking to X to deny picking the Sky rookie.
‘Just so we’re clear… it wasn’t me,’ Connecticut reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby wrote. ‘I voted for CC. So don’t blow me up or call me a hater cause IT WASNT TERRIKA.’
WNBA journalist Khristina Williams also confirmed she is not the voter responsible for selecting Reese, saying: ‘I had Caitlin Clark on my ballot for Rookie of the Year.’
Clark averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game while helping the WNBA set attendance records and garner mainstream attention. Most impressively, she guided the Fever to the playoffs after a 1-8 start.
