Megan Rapinoe and Caitlin Clark (CREDITS: USA Today)
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s battle for the Rookie of the Year award has become the biggest talking point of the 2024 WNBA season. Fans, analysts, and former players are split with many vouching for the Fever guard and others claiming the Sky center is the frontrunner. Power couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird revealed they are in Clark’s corner, but the retired soccer star threw some shade at the rookie.
On a panel, they were asked about their pick for the Rookie of the Year award and Rapinoe revealed the Fever sensation was her pick. She noted that the guard leads in most statistical categories but jokingly pointed out she also has the most turnovers. The soccer icon said,
“Yeah, I have Caitlin. She’s leading in all the categories, assists, turnovers, points.”
While Rapinoe picked Clark due to her incredible statistical impact, Bird had a different view. The four-time WNBA champion claimed she’s unbothered about stats and preferred forming her opinion by observing players’ impact on the court. Based on that parameter, the five-time Olympic gold medalist has the Fever guard as her Rookie of the Year. She said,
“I don’t really do the stat comparison. It can help inform things when it’s tight, for sure. I don’t do the record. I just do the eye test. And to me, [Caitlin Clark]’s the Rookie of the Year.”
While Bird doesn’t heed stats, her take on the Rookie of the Year race can be backed by numbers. Clark ranks 13th in scoring, 19th in rebounds, and is the league leader in assists. She’s the only rookie to rank top 15 in multiple statistical categories.
However, as the WNBA legend explained, Clark’s impact is apparent to anyone who watches the Fever play. She’s the team’s primary ball-handler and has a defender or two on her at all times. She’s guarded like a superstar and given her numbers and highlights, not many can argue that she isn’t one.
All betting websites have the Fever sensation as the heavy favorite to win the award. But with nearly half the season left, the race is far from over. Reese has plenty of games to usurp Clark. However, right now, she’s trailing by some distance.
