Clark, who averaged 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game, undoubtedly brought more attention to the sport and record attendances. The 22-year-old also played a key role in leading the Fever to the postseason, where they were defeated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
Reese, Clark's longtime competitor, received the remaining vote after an exceptional season, during which she set a new WNBA rebound record with 446, surpassing the previous record of 404 set by Sylvia Fowles in 2018. The 22-year-old Chicago Sky star also recorded 15 consecutive double-doubles, the most ever by a WNBA player, as well as the most double-doubles by a rookie.
Some WNBA fans suspect that the vote was cast by basketball icon Swoopes, who has previously appeared to criticize Clark by claiming her NCAA D1 scoring record "wasn't legitimate" and that she takes "about 40 shots a game". Swoopes was also recently a guest on Reese's podcast, reports the Mirror US .
Some fans took to social media to speculate that Sheryl Swoopes was behind the single dissenting vote, with one X user stating, "We all know that '1' was Sheryl Swoopes," despite having no knowledge of Swoopes' voting eligibility. Another fan tweeted, "Sheryl Swoopes, you're not fooling anyone. Haters gonna hate and jealousy doesn't look good on anyone. Grow up already."
However, others defended Swoopes against the claims, with one saying, "My God, Sheryl Swoopes lives rent-free in so many of these people's heads," An LSU fan chimed in, "They're dragging Sheryl Swoopes and I'm not even sure she was one of the 67 people that had a vote."
Meanwhile, Clark expressed her gratitude and excitement upon receiving the Rookie of the Year award. "I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season -- my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds," Clark said in a statement.
Clark also hinted at bigger things to come from herself and her Fever teammates. "The fun part is I feel like I'm just scratching the surface," she said after the Game 2 loss to the Sun.
"I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my teammates get even better, be better for my teammates. I know there's a lot of room for me to continue to improve, so that's what excites me the most."
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