Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are locked in a fierce battle for the Rookie of the Year award.

Sue Bird, widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, gave her verdict on the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year race on Saturday. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky’s first-year player Angel Reese are locked in a fierce battle for the prestigious honor.

The debate over whether Clark or Reese should win the ROTY award has been ongoing for over a month. Throughout the first half of the WNBA season, numerous fans and pundits have shared their opinions.

The former four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird gave her thoughts on the raging debate and revealed her criteria for choosing the winner. The 13-time WNBA All-Star picked Fever rookie Clark over the No.7 pick and voiced the reason behind her decision.

“For Rookie of the Year, I don’t really do the stat comparison. It can help when things are close for sure. I just do the eye test, and to me (Caitlin Clark) is Rookie of the Year,” Bird said while speaking on a panel with U.S. women’s soccer legend Megan Rapinoe.

The video of Bird giving Clark the edge over Reese instantly went viral and social media went into a frenzy. Clark and Reese’s fanbase reacted aggressively to the legendary WNBA player’s decision.

Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese: ROTY Race

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were phenomenal for their respective teams in the first half of the 2024 WNBA season. The duo broke numerous records and scripted multiple milestones with dazzling displays and consistent production on the court.

Clark leads all rookies in points and leads the league in assists. The 22-year-old averages 17.1 points after playing 26 games and 8.2 assists per game. Reese leads all rookies in rebounds and is second in the league in this category. The former LSU superstar averages 11.9 boards per game.

When you compare the stats between Clark and Reese, the former leads the latter in most of the major categories. Clark is shooting 40.5% from the floor, including 32.7% from the 3-point range. On the flipside, Reese is shooting 40.2% from the floor, including 20% from beyond the arc.

The Indiana Fever rookie averages 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. The Chicago Sky rookie averages 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

Clark-led Indiana is ranked seventh in the league and third in the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-15 record. Reese-led Chicago is ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and eighth in the league with a 10-14 record after playing 24 games.

In terms of the head-to-head record between Indiana and Chicago this season, the former emerged victorious in two of the three games. Clark has won two Rookie of the Month awards while Reese has one.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash