NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in the race for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors at the midpoint of the season, according to a national panel of voters who also rank the AP Power Poll each week.
Clark and Reese have garnered national attention with record-setting rookie seasons — leading to them being the first rookie duo to make an All-Star team since 2014 — so it’s no surprise that they’re the leading candidates for the award.
The pair have helped the league to huge increases in ratings, attendance and merchandise sales and with so much basketball still to be played an argument can be made for either to win the award.
But at the halfway point, the 15-member panel gives the edge to Clark in a 9-5 vote. One person didn’t vote.
“Today, I would say Clark, only because they have one more win overall as a team and have a 2-1 lead head-to-head,” said voter Christy Winters-Scott, a basketball analyst for the Mystics. “Clearly this could change as the WNBA season progresses. It has been a complete joy for me to witness how both players have evolved as professionals in such a short amount of time in the league.”
Clark is leading the WNBA in points accounted for (points plus points off assists) with 713 according to ESPN. The Indiana Fever’s No. 1 pick also became the first rookie to have a triple-double in a game doing it in a win over New York.
