An incredible debut season for former LSU superstar Angel Reese in the WNBA continues, as she picked up yet another honor this week: WNBA Rookie of the Month.
Reese was dominant in the month of June, even setting a high-profile WNBA record.
The talented forward became the first player in WNBA history to record 10 straight double-doubles, a feat she’ll be looking to extend further tonight when the Chicago Sky take on the Atlanta Dream at 7 p.m. ET.
Reese narrowly notched the 10th double-double, doing so with a free throw in the waning moments of a game on Sunday to get to 10 points. That sent her past Candace Parker‘s previous WNBA record of nine straight double-doubles in the same season.
During the month of June, Reese averaged 14.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with the Sky. She’s quickly become a mainstay in a lineup that employs a pair of rookies across the frontcourt.
In addition to driving surging ticket sales in the WNBA, Reese has been part of increased viewership numbers across the sport. She and fellow rookie Caitlin Clark, of the Indiana Fever, have developed a budding rivalry that has fans of women’s basketball on the edges of their seats.
The duo met a little more than a week ago in a thrilling showdown, one that set WNBA viewership records.
The 88-87 Chicago Sky win was watched by an average 2.3 million viewers, peaking at 3.3 million viewers. That made it the most-watched WNBA game in 23 years, per ESPN.
It also gave WNBA Rookie of the Year watchers plenty to chew on.
At least one prominent ESPN analyst has Angel Reese as the favorite to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year at this point in the season.
“Angel Reese was sensational yesterday. Her desire not to lose was greater than the Fever’s desire to win,” said Shannon Sharpe on ESPN’s First Take after the showdown. “Sometimes a team can want it more than the other team. Angel Reese says, ‘We’re not losing today. I know you have two victories over me Caitlin Clark, but not today.’ … She would not be denied. She dominated the boards – 16 rebounds, 25 points. She was sensational in the fourth quarter. They dominated in the paint.
“We can’t deny Caitlin Clark. … She had 17 points, 13 assists. She’s doing a great job of distributing the basketball. Right now, based on just a small, small sample size, for me it’s a toss up. But that’s not what we do here. You’ve gotta pick one or the other. So with that being said, I think I’m going to take Angel Reese right now, because of those double-doubles.”
The post Angel Reese named WNBA Rookie of the Month appeared first on On3.
