Sue Bird and Shaquille O’Neal weighed in on Angel Reese versus Caitlin Clark for WNBA Rookie of the Year debate, with each selecting the player closest to their style of play

The debate between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark for the WNBA Rookie of the Year resumes following the All-Star break. Basketball icons Sue Bird and Shaquille O’Neal joined the discussion, with the legendary ex-Seattle Storm guard favoring Clark, while O’Neal, the NBA Hall of Famer, supports Reese.

Both players have significantly impacted their rookie seasons, earning All-Star selections and breaking historical records. Bird, the WNBA’s all-time assist leader with 3,234 assists across 580 games, recently spoke at a panel where she revealed her preference for Clark. Despite praising both players, Bird emphasized her decision based on the “eye test.”
“I don’t do the stat comparison. It can help when things are close,” Bird said. “I just do the eye test, and to me, [Caitlin Clark] is Rookie of the Year.”

Clark became the fastest WNBA player to record 300 career points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists, achieving this milestone in her 19th professional game. The No. 1 overall draft pick was named Rookie of the Month in July and is the only player in league history to receive more than 700,000 votes for the WNBA All-Star Game.

Reese holds the record for the longest double-double streak within a season in WNBA history and became the fastest player to record 250 points, 200 rebounds, and 30 steals. She grabbed the most offensive rebounds for a rookie across their first 12 games and is just the third Rookie to average at least 13.0 points and 11.0 rebounds.

“She made the comment the other day that she was born like this, and it’s true. Her mentality, the way she plays, no-nonsense, going to say what is on her mind, going to play the way she plays, and I love that about her,” said Shaq.

Clark and Reese both became All-Stars in year one ( Image:Getty)

“Caitlin [Clark] is a fabulous player. The female Steph Curry. They have done a lot for the game, but let’s not forget all the people that made the game what it was,” he continued.

“I will never forget a Sheryl Swoopes, a Candace Parker (or) a Lisa Leslie. But Caitlin and Angel, because of social media and other media outlets, really brought the game where it should have been 10 years ago. So I’m really an advocate for women’s basketball. They always play hard, their fundamentals are great. But I’m going to give it to Angel Reese right now.”

Both players are on All-Star break until Aug.15. Reese and the Chicago Sky will face the Phoenix Mercury that Thursday, while Clark and the Indiana Fever will take on the Phoenix the following day. The two teams are closely matched in the league standings, with the Fever holding an 11-15 record and the Sky at 10-14.