Clark named first-team All-WNBA
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark officially is among the very best players in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever superstar added another accolade to her historic rookie season Wednesday as she was named to the All-WNBA first team.
Clark is the first rookie so honored since Candace Parker in 2008, and she’s just the fifth rookie to earn All-WNBA first team recognition this century.
Sue Bird (2002), Tamika Catchings (2002) and Diana Taurasi (2004) are the other first-year All-WNBA first-team players since 2000.
Catchings, who was a first-team honoree seven times during her storied career, is the only other player to earn the honor in Fever history.
“She’s in the company of some of the greatest players in this league,” Indiana head coach Christie Sides told the team’s website. “She’s just doing things that just special players can do.”
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals in her debut season after being selected with the No. 1 overall draft pick in April.
She set a WNBA record for assists in a single season and set franchise marks for single-season points and 3-pointers made.
Clark received 52 first-team votes from a 67-person national panel made up of sportswriters and broadcasters. She received 14 second-team votes and finished fourth overall in voting with 302 points.
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Las Vegas Aces center A’Ja Wilson were unanimous first-team selections and earned 335 points.
Collier was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and is currently competing in the WNBA Finals with the Lynx. Wilson was unanimously voted the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart received 65 first-team votes and finished third in voting with 331 points. Stewart and the Liberty entered Wednesday tied 1-1 with Minnesota in the WNBA Finals.
Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas rounded out the squad with 39 first-team votes and 255 points.
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper, Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and Liberty center Jonquel Jones were named to the second team.
Clark was announced as the WNBA Rookie of the Year on Oct. 3 and The Associated Press Rookie of the Year on Sept. 22.
She also was a starter for the WNBA All-Star team that defeated the U.S. Olympic team in July.
“You never know how quickly they’re gonna adapt to the WNBA game coming from college,” former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder told feverbasketball.com. “And I think that Caitlin has done surprisingly well (with) how quickly she’s adapted to this game.
“There was a lot of doubters out there, as all know, and she’s proved them all wrong.”
All-WNBA voting was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season, and first-team votes were worth five points with three points awarded for second-team nods.
Clark and her fellow first-team honorees will receive $10,300 bonuses.