Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese don’t care about the WNBA Rookie of the Year award nearly as much as fans seem to.
The two rookie phenoms went head-to-head on Friday night, August 30 with Clark’s Indiana Fever upending Reese’s Chicago Sky 100-81. The win brought the Fever to 16-16, their first time at .500 since May 2022. That snapped a 103-game sub-.500 streak — the third longest in WNBA history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
For the Sky, it was their sixth loss in seven games as they fall closer to the playoff cut line.
As they have every time they’ve faced each other this year, the two most popular rookies in the WNBA stood out. Clark got the better of the matchup, scoring a career-high 31 points to go with 12 assists, making her only the fifth player in WNBA history to post a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Reese held her own, posting her usual double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She has not played consecutive games without a double-double since May 30 to June 1.
Caitlin Clark: ‘We Don’t Wake Up & Think About Individual Awards’
With Clark and Reese matching up again, it’s too easy for fans and media to bring the Rookie of the Year argument back to the sports talk forefront. Clark told reporters after the game that she’s not worried about the individual awards, and she assumed Reese isn’t either.
“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer,” Clark said, per Evan Frank of the Indianapolis Star. “We don’t wake up and think about individual awards. I know that’s what all of you think we do. I know we don’t. That’s what everybody wants to make this about. Both of our teams are competing for playoff spots. That is our main focus.”
Through August 30, Clark’s Fever were tied with the Phoenix Mercury for the 6-seed in the WNBA playoffs. At 3.5 games behind the 4-seed Las Vegas Aces with eight games left to play in the regular season, it’s not likely Indiana will be able to claw its way up to earn a home series in the first round. They do, however, seem safe from the 8 seed, who would have to face the league-leading New York Liberty.
Angel Reese: ‘Whatever It Takes to Win’
Reese’s response to the Rookie of the Year question was eerily similar to Clark’s — almost as if they coordinated their answers. Or they’re just two competitors who see the bigger picture beyond an individual trophy they will never qualify for again no matter how long they’re in the league.
“We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year,” Reese said in the postgame press conference. “I think you guys have made it a big thing. We haven’t.”
Angel Reese echoes Caitlin Clark on the ROY debate: “We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year. … I think you guys have made it a big thing.”
While the two each had strong arguments for the award earlier in the year, Clark has taken a commanding lead in the race. As of August 30, before the Fever vs. Sky game, Clark was at -3000 odds to win Rookie of the Year per Draft Kings, with Reese a distant second at +1500. Friday’s game surely tipped the scales more in Clark’s favor.
Reese isn’t worried about that.
“We’re just trying to do whatever it takes to win. That’s what’s important right now,” she added.
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Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese Sound Off on Rookie of the Year Race