Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are battling it out for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Caitlin Clark had a typical response to Angel Reese’s WNBA record-breaking feat as the two rookie sensations vie for the Rookie of the Year title.
Reese and her team, the Chicago Sky, were defeated 79-74 by the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Despite the loss, Reese made history by breaking an all-time WNBA record.
With four minutes left in the second quarter, Reese grabbed a rebound off a missed 3-point attempt from Myisha Hines-Allen taking her game tally to six and her season total to 405.
This achievement by the Sky forward broke the all-time WNBA record for most rebounds in a single season not just among rookies previously held by Sylvia Fowles with 404 in 2018. However, just hours later, Clark responded by setting another record for herself while aiding the Indiana Fever to a 100-93 victory over the Dallas Wings.
Clark scored 28 points in 37 minutes on-court, breaking a Fever franchise record set by Tamika Catchings in 2002 for the highest rookie scoring mark in a season. The former Iowa star’s record-breaking basket came with 3:13 left in the half when she scored her 595th career point with a 3-pointer.
Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Famer, heaped praise on Caitlin Clark during the broadcast, saying, “You know when I walked in before the game, there were just hundreds of fans lined up. What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational,” and added, “As a baller to a baller, I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark. For just lifting our game up. You and so many great players.”
However, before the upcoming Sky vs. Fever match-up, Reese clarified her stance regarding the Rookie of the Year honor, insisting it’s not what she’s focused on: “We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year but you guys, I think you guys have made the big thing. We haven’t,” demonstrating hers and Clark’s attitude toward the accolade.
Pushing aside individual awards, Reese emphasizes the team’s ambitions: “So I just continue to work within our team. We both want to win. We’ve been wanting to win and that’s what we’ve done in our collegiate career,” reflecting on past games against each other in the March Madness tournament. “We played against each other last year and the year before in the March Madness tournament. So we’re just trying to do whatever it takes to win. That’s what’s important right now.”
Clark concurred with Reese’s sentiments, as she stated: “I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer,” said Clark. “You 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’s our main focus. That’s a selfish thing to just care about an individual award. And she would give you the same exact answer. I’m sure she has given you the same exact answer. If you’re playing basketball to win individual awards, no matter what level you’re at, you’re doing it wrong.”
