Sheryl Swoopes forced into U-turn after picking Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark

After speculation over who handed a vote to Angel Reese in the Rookie of the Year stakes, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has moved to set the record straight on rumors which abounded

Three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes has asserted that someone else is to “blame” after Caitlin Clark was denied a clean sweep of the votes in the Rookie of the Year stakes.

The Indiana Fever superstar rallied after a slow start to her maiden campaign to put in a landmark performance across the season as she lived up to her billing as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The former Iowa college icon tallied up an average of 19.2 points, a league-high 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in her rookie year.

After breaking 11 league records in the process, Clark was subsequently named the Rookie of the Year on account of her mesmeric showings. However, she did not receive a unanimous backing from the panel of 67 voters in the lead up to winning the prize – as one individual instead backed Chicago Sky rival Angel Reese.

Now, four-time WNBA champion Swoopes has cleared up whether she was the person who picked Reese, as she revealed that she did not have a vote for the award. And she also explained how Clark’s performances after the Olympic break forced her into a U-turn over who deserved the prize.

Speaking on “Levels To This” podcast, Swoopes said: “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,” she said to co-host Terrika Foster-Brasby, as she praised Clark. “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.

“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…”

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Clark was named as the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Speaking in glowing terms about the Fever point guard’s end to the regular season, she said: “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.”

After it emerged that one voter had backed Reese for the award, a host of names came forward to confirm that they had instead voted for Clark. In the case of CBS reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby, she said on social media: “I voted for CC. So don’t blow me up or call me a hater cause IT WASN’T TERRIKA.”

Meanwhile, iHeartRadio journalist Khristina Williams also waded into the discourse, saying: “I had Caitlin Clark on my ballot for Rookie of the Year,” as Nick Hamilton of SiriusXM also confirmed: “My voting ballot for #WNBA ROY was Caitlin Clark.”