Caitlin Clark in fresh WNBA controversy as Rookie of the Year voters race to deny being the one who chose Angel Reese over her

Caitlin Clark was denied a clean sweep in the WNBA Rookie of the Year voting by the smallest of margins after one electorate controversially opted for Angel Reese.

The worst kept secret in the WNBA was finally confirmed on Thursday after Clark, who is currently at the center of another fierce race row, was named Rookie of the Year on the back of her record-breaking debut season with the Indiana Fever.

Though while a whopping 98.5 percent of voters – who were made up of two local journalists from each WNBA market and a collection of national writers – selected her as their winner, it wasn’t a unanimous victory for the Fever sensation.

Incredibly, one voter out of 66 instead chose Reese as Rookie of the Year, despite the Chicago Sky forward failing to make it into the postseason while Clark inspired Indiana to their first playoff appearance since 2016.

A number of fans are desperate to know who the mysterious electorate is, which has led to several reporters taking to X to deny being the culprit.

Just so we’re clear… it wasn’t me,’ Connecticut reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby wrote. ‘I voted for CC. So don’t blow me up or call me a hater cause IT WASNT TERRIKA.’

WNBA journalist Khristina Williams also confirmed she is not the voter responsible for selecting Reese, saying: ‘I had Caitlin Clark on my ballot for Rookie of the Year.’

Clark averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game while helping the WNBA set attendance records and garner mainstream attention. Most impressively, she guided the Fever to the playoffs after a 1-8 start.

Although the award wasn’t announced until Thursday, Clark learned she’d be winning Rookie of the Year at a Fever practice before the team’s playoff opener in Connecticut last week. The Fever would go on to be swept, 2-0, bringing their season to an end, but not until after the excitement over her first major WNBA award.

Clark’s rookie season has also included plenty of controversy, nevertheless, with the WNBA engulfed in a number of racism and homophobia rows throughout the campaign.

The Fever’s playoffs exit was overshadowed last week by yet another controversy after Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington accidentally poked Clark in the eye during the best-of-three series.

Just so we’re clear… it wasn’t me. I voted for CC. So don’t blow me up or call me a hater cause IT WASNT TERRIKA 😂 https://t.co/CFx0oyXVv1

— Terrika (@SheKnowsSports) October 3, 2024

USA Today columnist Christine Brennan asked Carrington following the incident when the poke was intentional, which the player denied. Likewise, Carrington also denied laughing about the incident after cameras caught her giggling with teammates later in their Game 1 victory.

The query sparked a war between Brennan and the WNBA players’ union, who called for the journalist to be fired, while former USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe also branded the question ‘racist’.

While Carrington answered Brennan’s questions without complaint, the WNBA players’ union responded with a scathing statement directed at the famed columnist.

‘To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You are not fooling anyone,’ read the WNBPA statement.

‘That so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating into a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You cannot hide behind your tenure.

‘You have abused your privileges and do not deserve the credentials issued to you.’