Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Are Kindred Spirits About WNBA Rookie of the Year
The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky are facing each other for the final time of the 2024 WNBA regular season on Friday.
Of course, this also means the last matchup between rookie sensations Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese; both of whom have excellent first professional campaigns, and are the top two candidates for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
There has been endless debate among women's basketball fans and media pundits about which of the two rookies deserves the award.
Although both Clark and Reese's pregame comments show that it's just about the last thing on their minds.
"I don't think anybody, we don't either, cares about the rookie of the year but you guys," Reese said to the media before Friday's game, per Julia Poe. "I think you guys have made it a big thing. [Clark and I] haven't.
"So just continue to work within our team, we both want to win. We've been wanting to win and that's what we've done in our collegiate careers... so we're just trying to do whatever it takes to win and that's what's important right now," Reese continued.
Angel Reese echoes Caitlin Clark on the ROY debate: “We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year. … I think you guys have made it a big thing.” pic.twitter.com/ixCxZC1IKb
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 30, 2024
Clark shared a similar sentiment as her rookie counterpart pregame, responding when asked how fun it is to be competing with Reese for Rookie of the Year, "I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer, we don’t wake up and think about individual awards," per Chloe Peterson.
"I know that's what all of you think we do... that's what everybody wants to make this about. But both of our teams are competing for playoff spots. Like, that's our main focus. That's a selfish thing to just care about an individual award. And she would give you the same exact answer.
"I'm sure she has given you the same exact answer," Clark added.
That she has.
"Our focus is on winning basketball games, it's simple as that," Clark continued. "Like, it's winning basketball games. And that was the same story for us when we were in college. If you're playing basketball to win individual awards, no matter what level you're at, you're doing it wrong. And that's not fun, and that's not being a good teammate."
Caitlin Clark when asked how fun it is to be part of the competition of the rookie of the year race:
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) August 30, 2024
“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer, we don’t wake up and think about individual awards.” pic.twitter.com/n5F8cyQycv
It's cool to see the two rookies mirror each other's words.
Although the Rookie of the Year chatter won't die down until one of them is crowned.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.