Wait, Caitlin Clark Won Another Rookie of the Year Award? How?
Caitlin Clark has done it again! She's won the 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year award. You might be thinking, wait didn't you just read a story in September about her already winning WNBA Rookie of the Year?
In September, Caitlin Clark unanimously won the Associated Press Rookie of the Year. Yesterday (October 3), it was announced she had won the 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year. You might be wondering "What's the difference?" Honestly, not a whole lot. The only real difference between the AP Rookie of the Year and the WNBA Rookie of the Year is how the award is voted on.
How Are These Awards Voted On?
The AP (Associated Press) Rookie of the Year was voted on by a 15-person panel and Caitlin was selected unanimously. The 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year is voted on by 67 sportswriters and broadcasters across the country. According to USA Today, Caitlin received 66 out of the 67 votes for this award.
Record Books
In Caitlin Clark's first season in the WNBA, she helped lead the Indiana Fever to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016. Honestly, Caitlin Clark should've received votes for the WNBA MVP award as well. What she was able to accomplish this season should've had her in those conversations as well.
According to USA Today, Caitlin led all rookies in scoring with 19.2 points per game, which was the 7th best in the entire league. She also led the WNBA in assists, with 8.4 per game, and she made 122 three-pointers this season, which was also the best in the WNBA.
She broke the scoring record for a rookie, she broke the single-season assist record, single game assists record, and various other rookie records in her first season. She was also the first rookie in WNBA history to get a triple-double, which happened in early September.
While Caitlin had an amazing season individually, she's excited about the future of the Indiana Fever. She released this statement after being named the Rookie of the Year.
"I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season – my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization, and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds."
Who On Earth Didn't Vote For Caitlin?
All I personally want to add is...who was the 1 voter that didn't vote for Caitlin?! Angel Reese also had a great season and was Caitlin's biggest competition to win the award, even though there truly wasn't any competition at all. Reese led the WNBA in rebounding but sadly missed the last few weeks of her season with an injury.
On what planet would a player who couldn't play the entire year receive a vote over Caitlin for this award? I'm not trying to discredit Angel Reese's season at all. She was impressive until she got injured. While Angel was impressive and had a great rookie season, her being voted for this award feels like some kind of pity vote or the league didn't want the decision to be unanimous.
In my opinion, doing this is disrespectful to both Angel and Caitlin. Professional athletes and people in any line of work for that matter, (should) want to be recognized and win awards because they deserve them, not because of some arbitrary decision or "trying to make everyone happy."
If someone who didn't know anything about basketball looked at the numbers put up between Caitlin and Angel, without a second guess, they'd say Caitlin had a much better season. How can a professional broadcaster or writer vote for Angel Reese and truly believe in what they're doing? They can't. Something seems off about this in my opinion.
Caitlin accomplished things that the WNBA had never seen before and likely won't see for a long time...or ever see again, from a rookie. The broadcaster or writer who didn't vote for Caitlin shouldn't be allowed to vote for any kind of award for the rest of their professional career. It's absolutely ludicrous Caitlin wasn't voted unanimously.
Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season in the WNBA Part 1
Gallery Credit: Kerri Mac
Our Favorite Caitlin Clark Photos
Gallery Credit: Getty Images