Caitlin Clark officially named WNBA Rookie of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark has officially been named WNBA Rookie of the Year following the Indiana Fever‘s historic season that saw a 1-8 start result in a playoff berth. 

The WNBA announced Thursday, Oct. 3 that Clark was named the award’s winner alongside Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who has won Defensive Player of the Year. Las Vegas center A’ja Wilson was named league MVP and Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington won Most Improved Player. 

Clark received 66 out of 67 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

“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. 

As part of the honor, Clark will get $5,150 and a trophy.

The Fever shared video of the moment Clark got the news. 

In the regular season, Clark and Kelsey Mitchell both averaged 19.2 points per game, finishing in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Clark led the league in assists and 3-pointers made, averaging 8.4  and 3.0 per game, respectively. Aliyah Boston finished in the top 10 in the league in rebounding, with 8.9 per game.

Clark is the third player in franchise history to receive WNBA Rookie of the Year Honors, joining Aliyah Boston (2023) and Tamika Catchings (2002). 

Pacers stars gave their congratulations to Caitlin after the announcement was official. 

Clark had a record-breaking season on and off the court. She broke the single-season assist record, as well as setting the league’s individual game mark. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year also broke the rookie record for points in a season.

Off the court, Clark and her fellow rookies have been a ratings and attendance boon for the WNBA. Despite the blowout loss in Game 1 against the Sun, fans tuned in as the game averaged 1.8 million viewers according to ESPN, making it the WNBA’s most watched playoff game since the 2000 Finals. It was the most watched playoff game on ESPN ever despite going up against the NFL.

Six different league television partners set viewership records this year for its highest viewed WNBA game — and all of those games included the Fever. Also, WTHR is the Local TV Home of the Fever, broadcasting 15 games this season on WTHR and WALV/MeTV.

Thanks to Clark, the Fever led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Fever averaged 17,036 at home and over 15,000 on the road. Four teams moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans.