Angel Reese and Jaylen Brown (CREDITS: USA Today)

The WNBA’s Rookie of the Year race has been among the hottest topics in the basketball fraternity over the past few months. Many are backing Caitlin Clark to win the award while the rest, including Celtics star Jaylen Brown, believe Angel Reese deserves the crown.

The reigning Finals MVP claimed he was incredibly impressed by the Chicago Sky center’s historic 15-game double-double streak. He added that her stellar consistency was why he was backing her to beat Clark to the coveted prize. In an interview with Boardroom, Brown said,

“Angel Reese [has] got my vote. I just think, you know, consistency, to come in and just [get] double-double after double-double, that’s impressive. There’s a lot of good players, a lot of good guys out there that are doing their thing.”

Reese’s 15-game double streak was the longest in WNBA history, surpassing Candace Parker’s record of 12, which she set over two seasons in 2009 and 2010. The rookie’s incredible feat helped improve her odds of beating Clark to the Rookie of the Year award. It gave her supporters, like Shaquille O’Neal, a legitimate argument to pick her to pip the Fever star in the race for the prize.

Shaquille O’Neal claims Ange Reese is leading the ROTY raceIn an interview with SportsCenter, the Hall of Famer, who signed her to Reebok and shares a close bond with the center, claimed that in his opinion, she’s now leading Clark in the Rookie of the Year race. However, he praised the Fever sensation and noted that the duo’s battle for the award is terrific for women’s basketball. O’Neal said,

“I think she’s definitely leading in the Rookie of the Year race. I give the vote to Angel. Caitlin is a fabulous player, the female Steph Curry. They have done a lot for the game. … Caitlin and Angel, because of social media and all the media outlets, they really brought the game where it should’ve been 10 years ago.”

“[Angel Reese is] definitely leading in the Rookie of the Year race.”

Shaq says that Caitlin Clark is a “fabulous player” but his vote for ROTY is for Angel Reese right now  pic.twitter.com/bGmSgTeXSn

— espnW (@espnW) July 17, 2024

While Reese is certainly a contender to win the prestigious honor, Clark is still the favorite to win the prize. She leads all rookies in points and assists and ranks fourth in rebounds. She’s 13th among all players in points and is the league’s top assist-provider, an incredible achievement for a player in her debut season.

With nearly half the season left, the Sky center could usurp the Fever guard to win the Rookie of the Year award. However, if the race ended today, Clark would likely take home the prize.