WNBA media members deny voting for Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark for Rookie of The Year amid outlier vote

Caitlin Clark was chosen WNBA Rookie of the Yr by 66 of 67 voters. Lots of the 66 who did vote for her have been fast to declare their innocence in voting towards her. 

When Clark was introduced the winner of the award Thursday, it was revealed the one vote towards her went to Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, Clark’s rival. 

A number of WNBA media members who voted for this 12 months’s award made claims on social media that they didn’t vote for Reese and voted for Clark as a substitute. 

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The voter who selected Reese had not recognized himself or herself earlier than the time of publication. That voter’s actions in choosing Reese has ignited controversy throughout social media. A number of social media customers have criticized the choice. 

Clark would have turn into the fifth WNBA participant within the league’s historical past to unanimously win Rookie of the Yr, becoming a member of teammate Aliyah Boston, who gained it final season; league MVP A’ja Wilson in 2018; Elena Delle Donne in 2013; and Tina Charles in 2010. Statistically, Clark’s rookie 12 months this 12 months was superior to any of these gamers as rookies. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL

Clark broke a number of league and franchise information in her first WNBA season, together with the single-season document for assists, the rookie scoring document and most factors by a guard in a single season in WNBA historical past. 

Reese was thought-about a darkish horse contender for the distinction behind Clark for the primary few months of the season. Nevertheless, her rookie marketing campaign was reduce quick after she underwent season-ending surgical procedure on her wrist after being injured Sept. 6. 

Clark widened her lead in almost each statistical class within the weeks previous to and after Reese’s season ended. 

Previous to that, in head-to-head matchups this 12 months, the Fever beat the Sky three out of 4 occasions. In two of these contests, Reese put up extra factors than Clark, whereas flattening extra rebounds than Clark in all 4 conferences. Clark registered extra assists in all 4 conferences. 

Angel Reese of the LSU Girl Tigers, proper, reacts towards Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes through the fourth quarter of the 2023 NCAA Event championship recreation at American Airways Heart April 2, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.  (Maddie Meyer/Getty Pictures)

Clark led the Fever to the playoffs for the primary time in eight years because the workforce’s main scorer. 

Reese was the third-leading scorer on a Chicago workforce that completed the season with a 13-27 document, third-worst within the league, and missed the playoffs for the primary time since 2018. 

The one statistic Reese held an edge over Clark was rebounds, with greater than twice as many rebounds per recreation at 13.1 in comparison with Clark’s 5.7. Reese has a pure peak benefit at 6-foot-3, in comparison with Clark at 6-foot.

However Clark held benefits in factors with 19.2 to Reese’s 13.6 per recreation, assists with 8.4 to Reese’s 1.9 and even blocks with 0.7 to Reese’s 0.5, regardless of the peak drawback. 

Like Clark, Reese additionally broke a WNBA single-season document throughout her rookie 12 months, breaking the single-season document for rebounds with 418 throughout a recreation towards the Minnesota Lynx Sept. 2. Not like Clark, Reese didn’t maintain that document by the tip of the season. After Reese’s season-ending surgical procedure, MVP A’ja Wilson broke Reese’s document within the last week of the season, when Wilson recorded her 419th rebound.

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Chicago Sky ahead Angel Reese walks on the court docket through the first half at Wintrust Enviornment in Chicago Aug. 25, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA At present Sports activities)

Regardless of the statistical discrepancies between Clark and Reese, the Sky rookie had her passionate supporters this 12 months who argued her case over Clark. 

Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, a 6-foot-11 heart who specialised in rebounding and dominating within the paint, instructed Fox Information Digital he would vote for Reese over Clark for Rookie of the Yr if he had a say throughout an interview at NBA Evening on the Emirates Suite on the U.S. Open in early September. 

“I might say Angel Reese,” Noah mentioned. “After I have a look at her play, she jogs my memory a whole lot of myself.”

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