Caitlin Clark once again solidified herself in elite company after a massive WNBA debut.
Clark joined the likes of Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Tamika Catchings as the fifth rookie to make the All-WNBA first team since 2000 on Wednesday. She’s the first rookie since Parker in 2008 to earn the honor.
While Clark didn’t win MVP like Parker did in her rookie season, she finished fourth in MVP voting and handily won Rookie of the Year.
Clark averaged 19.2 points, a WNBA-high 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals. She recorded a WNBA record of 337 assists and led the league with 122 3-pointers made, which was the second-highest total in league history. She set the WNBA single-game record for assists (19) and recorded the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in league history.
For All-WNBA voting, Clark got 52 votes out of 67 votes from local and national media for the first team and 14 votes for the second team. All but one voter had her on their first- or second-team ballots.
Many griped about the decision to leave her off the Olympic team, which won its eighth straight gold medal this summer, but Clark’s game benefited from the Olympic break.
Clark had little time between playing in the national championship with Iowa and training camp with the Indiana Fever. Her college commitments also kept her from important U.S. national team training camps, which led to her not being selected.
Before the Olympic break, Clark averaged 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. It was after the break that she displayed elite play that helped the Fever go 9-5 and secure a playoff berth.
Clark recorded 23.1 points, 8.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds, which made her a sure shot for several end-of-season awards, including All-WNBA first team.
Mercury star Kahleah Copper appeared primed to make the All-WNBA first team at the start of the season, but had to settle for second-team honors. She had 53 votes from the 67 voters.
Copper ranked third in the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 21.7 points per game. She also had the second-most games with at least 30 points (nine) and was the only player to record consecutive games of 30 or more points twice.
However, she was producing more before the Olympic break (23.2 points and 4.6 rebounds). Copper was named to the U.S. Olympic team, which didn’t afford her much of a break. As a result, her production dipped and she averaged 16.8 points over 12 games and had one game with at least 30 points.
Despite her finish, Copper remained one of the best players in the league and had the best numbers in her nine-year career. Copper and members of the All-WNBA second team will receive $5,150, while the members of the first team will receive $10,300.
The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, who was the unanimous MVP, and the Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, the Defensive Player of the Year, were unanimous selections to the All-WNBA first team. The New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart got 65 first-team votes and two second-team votes, and the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas garnered 39 first-team votes and 20 second-team votes.
The All-WNBA second-team was Sabrina Ionescu, Nneka Ogwumike, Arike Ogunbowale and Jonquel Jones.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why Caitlin Clark made All-WNBA first team as a rookie
