Caitlin Clark named WNBA Rookie of the Year

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was named the near-unanimous 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

She received 66 of 67 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese drawing one vote.

The winner also headlined the league's All-Rookie team. Clark was joined by Reese, Kamilla Cardoso of the Sky, Rickea Jackson of the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty's Leonie Fiebich.

Clark, 22, is the second consecutive recipient of the award for Indiana following forward-center Aliyah Boston.

"I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season -- my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds," Clark said.

Clark started all 40 games for the Fever, averaging 19.2 points, a league-high 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals while drawing record crowds and boosting television ratings across the nation.

Clark set an WNBA single-season record with 337 assists and set WNBA rookie marks with 769 points and 122 3-pointers.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of Iowa, Clark was a starter for Team WNBA at the All-Star Game and was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month four times (May, July, August and September).

"Does not surprise me one bit," Fever general manager Lin Dunn told the Indianapolis Star. "I mean, she broke all the records before she ever got to the WNBA. She broke the college points record, broke Pistol Pete Maravich's record, and so we anticipated great things from her. I think the assists, the passing, and then being a key part of taking our team from 13 wins to 20 wins, certainly well deserving. And we're thrilled. We're thrilled for the Fever franchise."

Clark helped the Fever finish 20-20 and earn their first playoff appearance since 2016. Indiana was swept 2-0 in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.

Other highlights from her sensational debut campaign included the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history (July 6 against New York and Sept. 4 against Los Angeles), and the WNBA single-game record for assists (19 against Dallas on July 17).

--Field Level Media/Reuters