Never before has a fourth-place vote generated so much controversy. However, a reporter somehow decided to give Angel Reese that very vote for WNBA MVP, prompting fans and sports reporters to have a collective coronary.
As most of our readers know by now, A’ja Wilson was named the unanimous WNBA MVP this weekend. It is a well-deserved accolade for the Las Vegas Aces center.
There was never really any doubt as to who was taking home the hardware this season. Wilson was dominant and beyond worthy of the unanimous selection.
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark finished fourth in the MVP voting, behind Wilson, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
Way down the list at number 12 was Reese, whose mention in the voting was only possible due to the three points she earned from one lone fourth-place vote. If not for that vote, she would have garnered zero points and failed to finish in the top 15.
WNBA MVP voting breakdown
— Colin Salao (@colincsalao) September 22, 2024
🏀 A’ja Wilson is the first WNBA unanimous MVP since 1997.
🏀 Napheesa Collier one vote away from sweeping second.
🏀 Caitlin Clark finishes fourth.
🏀 Angel Reese receives one fourth-place vote. pic.twitter.com/bx7g0nUrU9
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Angel Reese MVP Vote Stirs Controversy
While she doesn’t belong in the conversation for MVP, you just had to know one of these reporters was going to try and make an anti-Caitlin Clark statement by throwing away their votes. And sure enough, that’s what happened, to Angel Reese’s benefit.
Is Sheryl Swoopes allowed to vote? Just kidding!
Anyway, reporters went hard after their colleague for giving Reese some points in the voting process.
CBS Sports contributor David Eikholt pilloried the voter saying, “Having Angel Reese anywhere near the top-20 MVP voting should be grounds to have your vote taken away.”
Sports broadcaster Robin Lundberg added, “Not trying to start anything but voting Angel Reese 4th for MVP is neglecting professional responsibility.”
It’s insanity really. It almost makes the one dork who didn’t vote for Derek Jeter in the Hall of Fame look reasonable. And I hate Derek Jeter.
Most WNBA fans pointed out that this isn’t Reese’s fault by any measure. She’s just not MVP caliber this season. Not even top 10. Probably not even top 20. But she’s a rookie, and a good one at that.
“Also — and this is not a shot at Angel Reese whatsoever. She has nothing to do with this — whoever used a fourth-place MVP vote on Reese should be banned from voting on league awards forever,” James Boyd of The Atlantic wrote on social media.
“They clearly don’t take the process seriously and can’t even pretend to be unbiased.”
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Is That Reporter Going To Throw Off ROY Voting?
Several fans also pointed out that the reporter listing Angel Reese as deserving of a fourth-place MVP vote means they might wreak havoc in the WNBA Rookie of the Year voting as well.
“The reporter who gave Angel Reese a 4th vote I’d be curious their thought process on that,” wrote commentator Robert Littal. “That media person likely will be the one that makes sure CC doesn’t win ROTY unanimously, but we shall see.”
Caitlin Clark, after getting fourth place legitimately in the WNBA MVP voting, won the AP Rookie of the Year voting unanimously. The WNBA will announce its official rookie of the year at some future point.
She was also named to the AP All-WNBA First Team.
While numerous media outlets tried to suggest the play between Clark and Reese was even and equally deserving of Rookie of the Year throughout the season, the latter half of the schedule saw only one player to rise to the occasion.
Clark went on a tear after the Olympics and the Fever surged as a result. Reese padded her rebounding stats but couldn’t spark her teammates as the Sky went 3-13 to end the year.
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