The race for WNBA Rookie of the Year is neck-and-neck right now between rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and even Shaquille O’Neal is working his way into the discourse.
On Wednesday’s “SportsCenter” with Matt Barrie, the Hall of Famer gave his vote to Reese. One might be prone to call it bias because of their shared LSU connection, but Reese and Clark are locked in a dead heat.
The Sky rookie’s stats speak for themselves—Reese is averaging 13.5 points and 12 rebounds a game, and she recently set the record for the most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history. In almost any other year without Clark in the running, Reese would be the clear front-runner in the competition.
Here’s what O’Neal had to say about both Clark and Reese and why he picked the 22-year-old Chicago forward to win the award.
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Why is Shaq picking Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark for WNBA Rookie of the Year?
O’Neal made it clear that it is not just his close relationship with Reese that earned her his endorsement.
“She made the comment the other day that she was born like this, and it’s true. Her mentality, the way she plays, no-nonsense, going to say what is on her mind, going to play the way she plays, and I love that about her,” he said.
“[Angel Reese is] definitely leading in the Rookie of the Year race.”
Shaq says that Caitlin Clark is a “fabulous player” but his vote for ROTY is for Angel Reese right now 👀 pic.twitter.com/bGmSgTeXSn
— espnW (@espnW) July 17, 2024
