WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds: Rivals Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Lead the Way

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Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images Pictured: Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever

Ricky Henne

Updated:

Jun 23, 2024, 07:43 PM EDT

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Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese is quickly becoming one of the best one-on-one rivalries in sports. The two had some epic duels in college, and that has continued as rookies in the WNBA.

Sunday’s latest edition of their rivalry once again lived up to the hype.

This time, though, Reese got the better of Clark, as she led the Chicago Sky to an 88-87 win over the Indiana Fever. Her layup with just under a minute to go broke an 84-all tie to give Chicago the lead for good. Reese finished with an impressive double-double, leading all players with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Meanwhile, Clark had a strong game as well, scoring 17 points with 13 assists and four steals.

Chicago’s victory comes one week after the Fever defeated the Sky 91-83 in a result that played second fiddle to Reese’s controversial flagrant foul on Clark. The Iowa product had one of her best all-around games in that win, scoring 23 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. On the other hand, Reese had 11 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.

Overall, Clark is averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists while Reese is averaging 12.4 points, 10.8 boards and 2.1 dimes. The duo has the two lowest odds to win Rookie of the Year, but the gulf between the two is enormous as Clark is -950 while Reese is +600.

Although their rivalry is all the rage, Clark and Reese aren’t the only rookies making an impact as women’s basketball enjoys its renaissance. Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson is averaging a solid 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds while Reese’s Chicago teammate Kamilla Cardoso is averaging 8.5 points and 6.9 boards. Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards has also enjoyed a strong rookie year, averaging 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds. The Sparks' Cameron Brink has also made an impact, averaging 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in her first 15 games before unfortunately tearing her ACL.

Nonetheless, Clark is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and it isn’t particularly close. In fact, she’s -950 to win the award while the field is +540 at FanDuel, showing just how far ahead of the pack she is as we approach the midpoint of the 2024 season.