Sheryl Swoopes did not vote for Angel Reese to be the WNBA Rookie of the Year over Caitlin Clark. She did not even cast a vote at all.
However, even the former three-time MVP can no longer discredit the No. 1 overall pick after trying to cut her down at the beginning of the season.
The voting for this season’s Rookie of the Year was not unanimous. The group of award voters is first made up of two local journalists from each WNBA market. A collection of national WNBA writers, reporters, and broadcasters from around the country make up the rest from there.
66 of 67 people voted for Clark. Only one person voted for Reese.
Unfortunately, we do not know who was/is the lone outlier. He or she has not owned up to his or her vote. Nobody has come forward to say that he or she prevented Clark from winning the award on unanimous decision.
We do know who was not responsible for the singular Reese vote. Sheryl Swoopes does not have a vote.
First of all, congratulations to Caitlin –– very well deserved. She had a hell of a rookie year doing things that just haven’t been done by a rookie before. But I hate to disappoint the people…
You all cannot blame this one on me. I don’t get a vote. I’ve never had a vote in any of the awards.
— Sheryl Swoopes
And to her credit, even if Swoopes did have a vote, she said on the most recent episode of the ‘Levels to This’ podcast (of the iHeartMedia Women’s Sports Audio Network) that she actually would vote for Clark.
I’ll also say this, if Rickea Jackson had gotten more playing time at the beginning of the season, Rickea Jackson would be in this conversation, but I digress. I thought at one point, Angel Reese had my Rookie of the Year vote because she set the double-double record, and for a rookie, that is impressive […]
After the Olympic break, Caitlin Clark got some rest […]
She came back and completely separated herself from all other rookies in the league. So congratulations to Caitlin. You all can’t get mad at me. I don’t get votes, so it wasn’t me.
— Sheryl Swoopes
Swoopes has been a well-documented Clark hater since before the greatest scorer in college basketball even entered into the league. Even her concession about the Rookie of the Year debate was twisted in a way that did not give her full praise. She essentially put a qualification on her hypothetical vote with praise for Rickea Jackson and Reese.
Credit to Sheryl Swoopes for keeping the same energy toward Caitlin Clark all year. The 53-year-old WNBA legend has been quick to cut her down at every opportunity, but even she cannot get behind the lone vote for Angel Reese. She had to eat her words.