Caitlin Clark’s impressive rookie season has earned her the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, as voted by a national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. The Indiana Fever guard received 66 of 67 votes, with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese receiving the lone dissenting vote.
Clark’s impressive statistics and accolades made her a runaway winner for the award. She averaged 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game, helping the Fever set attendance records and gain mainstream attention. Despite a slow start to the season, Clark found her footing and became an All-Star starter, leading the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Fever’s turnaround was remarkable, finishing the season with a 20-20 record after starting 1-8. Clark’s individual performance was equally impressive, as she led the league in 3-pointers with 122 and set a league single-season record with 337 assists. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double in WNBA history, and her 769 points set a new rookie record.
Clark’s impact on the league extended beyond her on-court performance. She, along with fellow rookies like Reese, helped drive a surge in attendance and viewership for the WNBA. The Fever led the league in attendance both at home and on the road, with four teams moving their home games to larger arenas to accommodate the influx of fans.
The WNBA also saw a significant increase in viewership, with six different television partners setting viewership records for the highest-viewed WNBA game. The Fever were a major draw, with all of these record-breaking games featuring the team. Clark’s star power was on full display in the playoffs, as the Fever’s Game 1 loss to Connecticut averaged 1.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA playoff game since the 2000 Finals.
Reese, who averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds for the Sky, was the only other player to receive a vote for Rookie of the Year. Clark’s dominance, however, made her the clear choice for the award. Despite not being selected for the U.S. Olympic team, Clark proved herself to be one of the top players in the league, and her future looks bright.
