WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson have been named the Associated Press Rookie of the Year and the league’s Player of the Year, respectively.
The WNBA shared the news Sunday.
Clark scored the most points in a single season for a rookie and broke the league’s assist mark for the season as well, according to the AP. She made her professional debut for the Indiana Fever in May during a WNBA preseason game. On Sunday, she will make her first appearance in the playoffs in Connecticut as the league’s postseason starts.
“This recognition wouldn’t be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we are looking forward to continuing an exciting regular season in the postseason,” she told the AP.
No women’s basketball player has previously received the kind of attention and adulation as Clark, the two-time collegiate national player of the year out of Iowa and college basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
Wilson became the fourth player in WNBA history to win Player of the Year three separate times. She was also the first player in the WNBA to score 1,000 points in a season. The Las Vegas Aces star played for Team USA during the Paris Olympics, helping the team dominate Japan in a 102-76 win.
Wilson was also the AP’s unanimous choice for the Player of the Year award.
“It means a lot,” Wilson told the AP about her Player of the Year win. “The preparation you put in, the approach I set myself up for this season.”
The South Carolina native is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time WNBA champion.