Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in a nearly unanimous vote, making the Indiana Fever the winners for two years in a row after Aliyah Boston won last season.
A national group of sportswriters and broadcasters gave Clark 66 out of 67 votes in the results announced on Thursday. The other vote went to Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.
“I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this past season — my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone who cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds,” Clark said in a statement.
Clark, the No. 1 overall pick from Iowa, averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game, helping the WNBA set attendance records and gain mainstream attention.
She had a bit of a rough start to the season but found her rhythm and became an All-Star starter. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, finishing with a 20-20 record after starting 1-8.
“I’m a tough grader. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said after the Fever were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. “For me, the fun part is like I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one that’s nit picking every single thing I do.
I know I want to help this franchise. … I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve so that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I continue to get a lot better.”
Clark was not selected for the U.S. Olympic team, which disappointed many of her fans, but she showed afterward that she could have made an impact. The Fever guard averaged 24.7 points and 9.3 assists in her first 10 games after the Olympic break, leading Indiana to an 8-2 record.
