As the competition for WNBA Rookie of the Year heats up, Sue Bird is throwing her support behind Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark leading into the All-Star break.
During an appearance on Good Game with Sarah Spain, part of the Women’s Sports Audio Network, the WNBA legend chose Clark over Angel Reese for Rookie of the Year honors:
“I usually don’t like mid-season awards, especially MVP awards,” said Bird. “But right now, I would go with Caitlin Clark.”
While Bird’s endorsement is not definitive at this point, it aligns with common opinion.
Reese briefly took the lead in the Rookie of the Year race a few weeks ago with a WNBA-record streak of 15 consecutive double-doubles. However, her streak ended on July 13 in a game against the New York Liberty.
Meanwhile, Clark has been showing significant improvement since a game against the Sky on June 16. In her last 12 games before the All-Star break, she averaged 18.8 points, 10.8 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
Clark has recorded eight double-doubles during this stretch and made history as the first rookie in the league to achieve a triple-double in a game against the Liberty on July 6. She also set a WNBA single-game record with 19 assists in the game against the Dallas Wings before the break.
The Fever has already secured 11 wins in 26 games, a significant improvement from previous seasons. The Sky, with a record of 10-14, are close behind Indiana in the playoff race for the No. 7 seed.
Clark and the Fever have won two out of the three matchups against Reese and the Sky this season. They will face off for the final regular-season game on Aug. 30 at Wintrust Arena.
