Caitlin Clark unanimously named AP WNBA Rookie of the Year

CNN
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Caitlin Clark continues to reap the rewards of her remarkable debut season in the WNBA and was most recently unanimously voted Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press (AP).

The Indiana Fever star was also named to the All-WNBA First Team and AP's All-Rookie Team when the awards were announced Sunday. The WNBA will announce its official Rookie of the Year and the rest of the awards throughout the postseason, which began Sunday.

Clark, who has already achieved outstanding achievements in the sport in her short career, said it was a “tremendous honour” to be recognised by sports journalists and commentators.

“This recognition would not be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we look forward to continuing an exciting regular season into the postseason,” she told AP.

Clark entered her rookie season with a lot of expectations and she certainly did not disappoint.

The 22-year-old, who led her team to its first playoff appearance since 2016, started all 40 regular season games for the Fever and broke new ground in the process.

She became the WNBA record holder for assists in a season (337), a feat that also includes the league record of 19 assists in a game.

Clark was also the first rookie to record a triple-double and holds the record for most three-pointers made by a rookie in league history.

Off the court, the defender has helped attract new fans to the sport, leading to a surge in attendance at WNBA games.

However, Clark's playoff debut on Sunday did not go as planned, as the Fever were crushed by the Connecticut Sun in Game 1, 93-69.

Clark and the Fever will look to extend the series in Game 2 against the Sun on Wednesday in Connecticut at 7:30 p.m. ET.