Caitlin Clark Was One Vote Shy of Being Unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates against the Phoenix Mercury during a WNBA game at Footprint Center.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates against the Phoenix Mercury during a WNBA game at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In this story:

Caitlin Clark was officially announced as the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year on Thursday following her prolific first campaign in the league.

Although Clark winning the award was something of a foregone conclusion, the WNBA revealed that the star point guard and emerging face of the league received 66 of the 67 votes from the panel of national reporters and sportswriters.

The lone vote not cast for Clark went in favor of Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. That vote kept Clark from becoming the WNBA's fifth-ever unanimous Rookie of the Year.

Clark's new hardware marks the second consecutive season the Fever have had a Rookie of the Year winner. Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, was a unanimous winner of the award last year. She joined Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne and A'ja Wilson as the only players ever to win the award unanimously.

While frequently in the brightest spotlight of the league, Clark led the Indiana Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016. She averaged 19.2 points, a league-high 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per contest, while also shattering a staggering amount of league records.

Clark will look to build off of a sensational debut campaign in the W, and she'll hope to guide Indiana to a longer stay in the postseason in 2025. For now, she's enjoying a much-deserved break after a year of dominating headlines.


More of the Latest Around the WNBA

feed


Published
Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.