Skip to main content
Join

Caitlin Clark named WNBA Rookie of the Month for July

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•07/19/24•

NickSchultz_7

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark after her first career triple-double
© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The honors continue to roll in for Caitlin Clark as she finds her footing in the WNBA. As the league enters its All-Star and Olympic breaks, she brought home the July Rookie of the Month award.

Clark put together a huge six-game stretch in July, including the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history. She also set a league record in the final game before the break when she dished out 19 assists in the Indiana Fever’s loss to the Dallas Wings earlier this week. That broke the previous mark of 18 assists set by Courtney Vandersloot.

All told, this month, Clark averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 12.5 assists. That helped her bring home her second Rookie of the Month honor as she starts her professional career.

Through the first three months of the year, Clark and Angel Reese are the only two rookies to win Rookie of the Month, with Reese – now starring for the Chicago Sky – bringing home June’s honor amid her record double-double streak. That helped her earn some buzz for Rookie of the Year even as Clark started to put everything together with the Fever.

But over the last few weeks, things shifted. And after Clark’s triple-double and huge game against Dallas, her odds are increasing as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo acknowledged the separation Clark is creating after that 19-assist performance earlier this week.

“Going into the All-Star break, I certainly see Caitlin Clark as the favorite,” Lobo said. “You talked about her accounting for more than 60 of her team’s points last night. She has scored or assisted on more points than any other player this season, she has scored or assisted on a higher percentage of her team’s points than any other player in the league. Not any other rookie in the league, any other player in the league. 

“And considering that she’s doing this by getting more defensive attention than any player in the league. Greeny, Indiana has played the toughest strength of schedule to date. So right now because of what she’s doing on the offensive end of the floor, certainly my vote would go to Caitlin Clark.”

The WNBA season will now take a hiatus for the All-Star Game, which gets underway Saturday from Phoenix – which will include Clark and Reese as the All-Stars take on Team USA – and the 2024 Paris Olympics ahead of the opening ceremonies. Games will then start back up Aug. 16.