Chennedy Carter settles WNBA Rookie of the Year debate after Angel Reese masterclass

Chennedy Carter has declared teammate and close friend Angel Reese the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year after another incredible showing. The Chicago Sky forward now has 12 consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds, and her team picked up another important win to boost hopes of making the playoffs.

Reese is in a direct battle with Caitlin Clark for the Rookie of the Year award, with both women having incredible starts to their careers after making the move from college basketball earlier this year. And while Clark is the betting favorite to win the award, being the leader on the Indiana Fever and putting up high-volume scoring totals regularly, Carter expressed that her WNBA All-Star teammate should pip her to the crown.

When asked about Reese’s recent performances, Carter said in an on-court interview: “Barbie (Reese) is rookie of the year. There’s no other way to put it. She goes out, she does her work every single night no matter what team we’re facing. She’s rookie of the year for sure.”

Carter had not been asked about the Rookie of the Year competition, but she nonetheless dove straight to it when asked about Reese’s impressive run of late. It will only add fuel to the fire of the Clark vs Reese Rookie of the Year debate.

Clark has undoubtedly brought millions of eyes to the sport since her incredible run with Iowa before being the number one draft pick to the Fever, while averaging 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and a steal a game.

However, Reese has reminded WNBA fans that she too has played in a role in the emergence of women’s basketball on a national scale over the past two years.

And Reese has enjoyed constant support from teammates such as Carter. “That’s the Chenn to the Barbie,” Reese told reporters recently. “I mean, I love Chennedy so much, she brings so much energy. She’s probably the fastest player I’ve ever played with in the league. So just being able to continue to play with her and build confidence with her.

“We’ve been through a lot of things. We understand each other, I understand her, she understands me so that’s awesome.”

Reese is now averaging 13.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. She hit a pair of 3-pointers on Friday night against the Seattle Storm, flashing a new element to her game that she tried to play up for scouts in pre-draft workouts. The LSU product regularly works on her jump shot in practice, but Friday marked the first time she used it as a weapon in the 2024 WNBA campaign.