The Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry is ruling the battle for WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Clark, the No. 1 overall pick by the Fever in this year’s draft, currently leads Reese, the No. 7 pick by the Sky, for ROTY honors at the midpoint of the season, according to The Associated Press.
The AP polled a 15-member panel consisting of voters — who also rank the AP Power Poll each week — and Clark received nine votes compared to Reese’s five with one person abstaining.
A solid case could be made for both rookie sensations, whose college rivalry carried over to the WNBA, as the league has seen a major uptick in viewership and revenue.
Reese led the LSU Tigers to their first championship in program history in a win over Clark and Iowa in 2023 — when the former LSU forward famously waved her hand in front of Clark’s face, doing the “you can’t see me” gesture, at the end of the game, which helped fuel the rivalry.
Iowa defeated LSU in the Elite Eight of this year’s women’s NCAA Tournament.
Clark and Reese have both etched their names in the WNBA record book while playing pivotal roles as starters for their respective teams.
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Reese, 22, set a new WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13 — passing Candace Parker’s previous record of 12, set in the 2009 and 2010 seasons — in Chicago’s 84-71 loss to the Storm on Sunday.
The LSU product, who’s also leading the league in rebounding with 11.9 per game, finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Meanwhile, Clark is reviving the Fever in her first WNBA season.
Clark’s scoring prowess carried over from college, during which the former Iowa point guard became the NCAA’s all-time Division I scoring leader in her senior year, and she led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances in the national championship game.
On Sunday, she secured her name in the WNBA record book, becoming the first rookie in league history to record a triple-double in an 83-78 Fever win over the Liberty.
Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in the Fever’s impressive win over the 17-4 Liberty, who are tied with the Sun for the WNBA’s best record.
Both Clark and Reese were the only rookies named to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which will tip off in Phoenix on July 20.
“I know people are going to be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everybody else,” Clark said of her and Reese’s All-Star nods. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everybody on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and just be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.
“Just going to obviously soak in the experience because you never know if you’re ever going to get back there.”
Clark has yet to reveal if she will participate in the 3-point contest, saying last Friday, it “remains to be seen.
“We’ll see. I don’t know, I haven’t decided, I don’t know. I can’t give you guys every answer today.”
Clark and Reese have also continued to dominate the NIL space.
The Fever guard’s first Wilson signature basketballs became available on Tuesday.
Reese confirmed in May that she is getting her own signature Reebok sneaker line.
The national panel of voters, per AP, also chose Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson as the unanimous choice for Player of the Year at this point in the season.
Wilson — a two-time WNBA champion, two-time league MVP and two-time Defensive Play of the Year — is averaging 27.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks this season, which is already better than in 2023, when she finished third in MVP voting.
The Nike athlete — whose signature shoe, “A’One,” will arrive in 2025 — became the Aces’ all-time scoring leader on Sunday in a 104-85 win against the Wings.
Wilson will face Clark and Reese in the WNBA All-Star game.
Wilson will represent Team USA, which includes the WNBA stars competing at the Paris Olympics, and Clark and Reese will become first-time teammates on Team WNBA.
The WNBA All-Star game will air on ABC and ESPN will air a skills challenge and a 3-point contest on July 19 at 6 p.m.