Rookies Impacting the WNBA

This 2024 WNBA (W) season has been a season to remember with big names entering the league for their rookie season. Many people have already been familiar with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and were looking forward to them declaring for the WNBA draft. While in college, they both grew a huge fanbase that followed them to the W. 

While in college, Caitlin Clark broke numerous records that had been held by other players for years. During her senior year as an Iowa Hawkeye, she broke Kelsey Plum’s record for most points scored in Women’s D1 (Division 1) Basketball. Not long after, she also became the NCAA leading scorer with 3,685 points ending her college career. 

Angel Reese attended LSU for her college days and made history for herself. She is the only player in college to have 34 double-doubles in a single season. Reese also holds a record for most rebounds, 555, in a season. 

Now that they both have entered the W, they are already making their mark and breaking records their rookie season. During the first half of the WNBA season, the Caitlin Clark effect was in action. Clark is now the first rookie in history to drop 400 points, 100 rebounds and 150 assists. No rookie has ever been able to record a triple-double in WNBA history but Clark was able to change that with the only two belonging to her. Reese is now leading the league in rebounds which used to belong to Las Vegas Aces, A’ja Wilson. Even though Reese’s season has ended early due to a wrist injury, she is the only rookie to record 26 double-doubles, most ever by a rookie.  

  Both players have made a huge impact on how people view womens’ sports. They are selling out arenas wherever they go to play because people everywhere want to see them play in person. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese show us that womens’ sports are just as entertaining as mens’ sports and that young girls everywhere can do the impossible. 

Image courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons.