Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) celebrate during the first half of a game Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

WNBA rookie phenoms Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are in a heated race for the league’s Rookie of the Year Award, but Caitlin Clark made it very clear that she is certainly not focused on that race, and she doesn’t seem to think that Reese is, either.

During a press conference ahead of Friday night’s showdown between the two rookie stars, Caitlin Clark downplayed the race for the individual award as she said that she is not thinking about the Rookie of the Year Award and she’s sure Angel Reese isn’t either.

“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer. You don’t wake up and think about individual awards. I know that’s what all of you think we do,” Clark said. “That’s what everybody wants to make this about, but both of our teams are competing for playoff spots. That’s our main focus. That’s a selfish thing to just care about an individual award.”

“She would give you the same exact answer, I’m sure she has given you the same exact answer,” Clark said, referring to Reese. “Everyone can write that, but our focus is on winning basketball games. It’s as simple as that. It’s winning basketball games, and that was the same story when we were in college. If you’re playing basketball to win individual awards, no matter what level you’re at, then you’re doing it wrong. That’s not fun and that’s not being a good teammate.”

Still that’s not going to stop anybody from closely following the Rookie of the Year race all the way until the conclusion.

[Hoop Central]