Caitlin Clark Crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year

Caitlin Clark has officially been crowned the WNBA Rookie of the Year, marking back-to-back wins for the Indiana Fever after Aliyah Boston secured the honor last season. Clark, the No. 1 overall pick out of Iowa, was just one vote shy of a unanimous selection, receiving 66 out of 67 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese received the remaining vote.

In Clark’s debut season, the 21-year-old guard averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game while also leading the league with 122 three-pointers. She set a rookie record with 769 points and 337 assists and even made history by recording the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history.

She helped propel the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016, capping off a 20-20 season despite starting 1-8. Clark’s contributions on the court also played a significant role in setting attendance records across the league, with Indiana leading in both home and road attendance.

While she missed out on making the U.S. Olympic team, Clark proved her value immediately afterward, posting 24.7 points and 9.3 assists per game in the first 10 games following the Olympic break, leading Indiana to an impressive 8-2 record. Her breakout performances earned her multiple accolades, including Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August and three Player of the Week honors.

Despite Indiana’s early playoff exit, Clark remains focused on improving and is excited about her future. “I feel like I’m just scratching the surface,” she said after the Fever’s first-round elimination. “I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve, and that’s what excites me the most.”

In a season where the WNBA garnered mainstream attention and set new viewership records, Clark, along with fellow rookie Angel Reese, proved to be a major attraction. Indiana’s games routinely attracted large crowds, with some teams even moving games to bigger arenas to accommodate the influx of fans when the Fever came to town.

Despite the Fever’s blowout playoff loss to Connecticut, fans continued to tune in, making it the WNBA’s most-watched playoff game on ESPN, with an average of 1.8 million viewers.