Stephen A. Smith Declares Emphatic End to WNBA Rookie of the Year Race
Heading into the WNBA's All-Star Game and Paris Olympics break, most women's basketball fans believed that the Rookie of the Year award race between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark was neck and neck.
This is because Reese produced a WNBA record for most double-doubles in a season and Clark was setting rookie assist records while improving her scoring averages with each passing game.
But most now believe that the Rookie of the Year gap has widened since the WNBA returned in mid-August. While Reese is still recording a double-double in most of her games and playing excellent basketball overall, Clark has blossomed into one of the WNBA's most lethal guards.
Hence why Stephen A. Smith called an end to the WNBA Rookie of the Year debate during a September 3 episode of "First Take" on ESPN.
“There is no debate," Smith said of the WNBA Rookie of the Year race, per X user @NBACentral. "I understand Angel Reese has been doing her thing with the double-doubles—like, 24 straight double-doubles and all that. Major props to her, and she deserves it; she's gonna be number 2. But Caitlin Clark is gonna win Rookie of the Year."
Smith then made another bold claim about about the WNBA MVP award.
"Caitlin Clark is in the conversation—she ain't gonna win it because A’ja Wilson is there. But Caitlin Clark is in the conversation for league MVP. I don't know if you already know that, but she's in the conversation—league MVP as a rookie," he said.
Stephen A. Smith says the Rookie of the Year race is over, and Caitlin Clark is in the conversation for MVP
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 3, 2024
“There is no debate. I understand Angel Reese has been doing her thing with the double-doubles—like, 24 straight double-doubles and all that. Major props to her, and she… pic.twitter.com/MFOuIbBqqT
Sportsbooks agree with Smith's stance for both prestigious awards. While there are still a few games left for Reese to change people's minds, it appears that Clark will finish her first WNBA season with a well-earned Rookie of the Year trophy.
GRANT YOUNG
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.