Caitlin Clark is in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the 2024 WNBA season. She has been fantastic for the Indiana Fever, leading them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. While she’s unlikely to win the MVP, who is the only player to win the ROY and MVP in the same season?
Candace Parker is the only player in WNBA history to win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player award in the same season.
Parker arrived and dominated the league in 2008 as the No. 1 pick by the LA Sparks. She averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks in 33 games.
Parker joined Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld as the only players to achieve the feat in American pro basketball history. Chamberlain did it in 1960, while Unseld repeated history nine years later.
Who is the favorite to win the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year?
Caitlin Clark is the favorite to take home the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. It was a two-player race at the start of the season, and there was real debate between Clark and Angel Reese.
However, Clark has separated herself from Reese over the past few months, especially after the Olympic break. She has been on a tear, and her contribution to the Indiana Fever, leading to wins, has been immense, as the Fever snapped their seven-year playoff drought.
Reese is having an excellent rookie season as well and might be the best rebounder in the league already. There are several knocks on her game, but it doesn’t change the fact that she made the race interesting early in the campaign.
Who is the favorite to win the 2024 WNBA MVP?
Due to her plays in the past two months, Caitlin Clark has crept into the MVP conversation.
Clark has the third-best odds of winning the award, just behind A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier. It would take near-ungodly performances for the 22-year-old to take away the MVP from Wilson, though.
The Las Vegas Aces superstar is having one of the greatest seasons in WNBA history. Wilson is putting up crazy numbers, averaging 27.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.7 blocks per game.
The two-time MVP should be a unanimous pick, but the Aces’ overall team record could affect the voting.
Moreover, Collier and Clark are having outstanding seasons, so it won’t be surprising if some voters put them on their ballots at the end of the season.
Edited by Bhargav
