Angel Reese Makes Eye-Opening Statement About WNBA Rookie of the Year Race

Though Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is beginning to pull away in the WNBA Rookie of the Year race, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese made it a neck-and-neck competition for much of the season.

Most sportsbooks have Clark as the betting favorite by a significant margin as the season comes to a close, but that seems to bother Reese none.

During an interview with Travis Singleton of Sneaker Reporter, Reese even went as far as to suggest she’s already won in a roundabout way by even being mentioned in the ROTY conversation.

“Coming into the league, obviously, I believed in myself and I trust in the process,” Reese said. “A lot of people didn't think my game would translate so just coming in and trusting the process and believing in myself. I mean, I was pick seven. I'm not supposed to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation, but I am because of how hard I work. And not just offensively, on the defensive end and being able to rebound.

“Rebounding is something that you have to want to do. It's not something that's easy and I don't have anything in my life that's been easy for me. So I really enjoy doing it. I really enjoy doing things that other players don't want to do. So just being able to leave my impact on the game and doing something that'll be a representation of me for a long time in this league.”

Clark and Reese rank 1 and 2, respectively, in points per game (18.4 to 13.2), steals per game (1.4 to 1.3), win shares (2.7 to 2.5) and player-efficiency rating (18.7 to 17.3).

Clark leads all rookies in assists per game (8.3) and free-throw percentage (.901) and ranks fourth in field-goal percentage (.419), while Reese leads first-year players in rebounds per game (12.9) and ranks third in free-throw percentage (.727) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.385).

Related: Angel Reese No Longer Getting Free Pass from Fans for Stat Padding