This Is the Way: Caitlin Clark Overcomes the Haters, Wins Nearly Unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year Award

Caitlin Clark earned praise from many, including the opponents' head coach, when the star player's Iowa women's basketball team fell to South Carolina in the finale of the women's Final Four, as I wrote in April. Since her entrance to the WNBA with the Indiana Fever as the number-one pick in the draft, there's been more praise--along with an extensive barrage of insults off the court and near-assaults that at times were not even called fouls on the court--for Clark. Among those who have been most vocal in dissing Clark and her team's fans is fellow rookie, Angel Reese.

The Latest Garbage From WNBA Players Proves the League Deserves to Fail

RedState Sports Report: Caitlin Clark Is Out of the WNBA Playoffs and So Are We

Her accomplishments stretch out for miles, too, starting with her breaking the scoring record for NCAA women's basketball:

Clark was also voted a unanimous Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press earlier this month. Following a historic run with Iowa women's basketball, Clark opened her WNBA career by averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game as a rookie
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft helped lead the Fever to a 20-win season, its first with that many victories since 2015. Indiana also earned the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs, but was swept in two games of the best-of-three series by the No. 3 Connecticut Sun. The Fever won just 13 games in 2023.
Clark set the WNBA single-season record with 337 assists and finished with WNBA single-season rookie records of 769 points and 122 3-pointers made. She finished just six 3-pointers shy of the WNBA record, set by New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu in 2023.

As my colleague Jerry Wilson wrote on Wednesday, Clark picked up even more haters who aren't even associated with the WNBA recently, when former US Women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe chimed in as a member of the Sisterhood of the Perpetually Offended to criticize Clark for doing nothing more than playing her game well.

The Sisterhood of the Perpetually Offended Really Hates Caitlin Clark

And while her team as a rookie did not push its way past the first round of the WNBA playoffs, breakout star Clark has managed to eke out another kind of win--which is likely to rile up her haters even more--with Thursday's announcement of this season's WNBA Rookie of the Year.

It was nearly unanimous that Clark was the top pick by sports reporters and broadcasters:

The obvious is now official - Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season.
The announcement came on Thursday afternoon.
...
Clark received 66 of the 67 first-place votes - the other was given to Angel Reese.

The fact that Reese only received a sole vote has to be gratifying for Clark, but it's probably not the top thing on her mind at this moment. Some might wonder why writing about an award in sports is important. Clark has shown the way in how to be classy when faced with outside obstacles and drama. Sure, having talent is important, but so is keeping your focus on the larger goal to win out against the naysayers. I think it's a great lesson for everyone. It certainly inspires me, and I have never watched one quarter of the WNBA.

My guess, too, is that it helped Caitlin Clark that her teammates have her back. They made a special video in honor of her new milestone:

proud teammates ❤️

the squad congratulates Caitlin Clark on winning 2024 @WNBA Rookie of the Year. pic.twitter.com/zTgrdTJhJV
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 3, 2024