Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever guard, is near-unanimous choice as WNBA's Rookie of the Year

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark has been named WNBA Rookie of the Year in a near-unanimous vote, the league announced Thursday.

A national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters gave the Indiana Fever guard 66 of 67 votes. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese received the other.

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick from Iowa, averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game while helping the WNBA set attendance records and garner mainstream attention. She struggled a bit early in the season, but found her groove and was an All-Star starter. She led the Fever to the playoffs and a 20-20 record after a 1-8 start.

Clark was not chosen for the U.S. Olympic team — a decision that disappointed her legions of fans — but she showed in the weeks afterward that she might have been helpful. She averaged 24.7 points and 9.3 assists in her first 10 games after the Olympic break and led the Fever to an 8-2 record.

Clark was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, was Player of the Week three times and Rookie of the Month four times. She recorded the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history, set a league single-game record with 19 assists and became the first rookie to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game.

Clark led the league with 122 3-pointers, was second with 90.6% accuracy from the free-throw line and averaged 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. She set a league single-season record with 337 assists and set rookie records of 769 points and 122 three-pointers made.

Reese averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds for the Sky.

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The Associated Press