Kahleah Copper on why the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese WNBA Rookie of the Year debate is so heated

Hoops circles have been abuzz about the 2024 Rookie of the Year Race, and no one can seem to unanimously agree on who leads the pack.

Today, the frontrunner is clearly Caitlin Clark. No, wait. It’s Angel Reese. And thus, a puzzling conundrum. In the coming days, it will likely switch again, and people will probably be back to arguing about it. But what do other players think? Do the WNBA’s veterans have thoughts about why there’s SO MUCH discourse?

To gain insight, we asked WNBA champion and Olympian Kahleah Copper her thoughts. While promoting her fireside chat with ESPN’s Andraya Carter and American Express during WNBA All-Star weekend, Copper shared with For the Win why she feels no one can agree on the Rookie of the Year favorite. Here’s what she said:

“It’s been so much interest…now, the excitement is up for the league with them coming out. I think it’s just the new fans. The new fans — they’re just making it hard. They’re making it hard right now. I just love the excitement behind it and how close the race is, and just the stats they’re putting up are ridiculous for them coming in as rookies.”

“I think they were neck-and-neck. What Angel is doing is really hard to do. People don’t understand. Sometimes, it takes people years to get one double-double. You know, she got, what — [15] straight? She had to work for that.”

“And then Caitlin Clark — stepping into a roster that was not rebuilding — but she had to come in there as a point guard, too, which is extremely hard to do. Handling the ball most of the time and having to handle pressure. I give both of those players credit, and I’m just excited to see how it plays out.”