Caitlin Clark was chosen as WNBA Rookie of the Year by 66 of 67 voters. Many of the 66 people who voted for her quickly declared their innocence by voting against her.

When Clark was declared the winner of the award on Thursday, it was revealed that the lone vote against her went to Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, Clark’s rival.

Multiple WNBA media members who voted for this year’s award claimed on social media that they did not vote for Reese and voted for Clark instead.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The voter who chose Reese had not identified himself before the time of publication. That voter’s actions in selecting Reese have sparked controversy on social media. Several social media users have criticized the decision.

Clark would have become the fifth WNBA player in league history to unanimously win Rookie of the Year, joining teammate Aliyah Boston, who won the title last season; league MVP A’ja Wilson in 2018; Elena Delle Donne in 2013; and Tina Charles in 2010. Statistically, Clark’s rookie year was superior to any of those players as rookies this year.

INSIDE THE IMPACT OF CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE ON MEN’S BASKETBALL

Clark broke multiple league and franchise records in her first WNBA season, including the single-season assists record, the rookie scoring record and the most points by a guard in a single season in WNBA history.

Reese was considered a dark horse candidate for the honor behind Clark for the first few months of the season. However, her rookie campaign was cut short after she underwent season-ending surgery on her wrist on September 6 after suffering an injury.

Clark increased her lead in nearly every statistical category in the weeks leading up to and following Reese’s season end.

Before that, the Fever defeated the Sky three out of four times in head-to-head matches this year. In two of those games, Reese scored more points than Clark, while pulling down more rebounds than Clark in all four meetings. Clark registered more assists in all four meetings.

Angel Reese of the LSU Lady Tigers, right, reacts to Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter of the 2023 NCAA Tournament championship game at the American Airlines Center on April 2, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Clark led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in eight years as the team’s top scorer.

Reese was the third-leading scorer on a Chicago team that finished the season with a 13-27 record, third-worst in the league, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The only statistic where Reese had an edge over Clark was rebounds, with more than twice as many rebounds per game (13.1) compared to Clark’s 5.7. Reese has a natural height advantage at 6-foot-1, compared to Clark at 6-foot-1.

But Clark had advantages in points at 19.2 to Reese’s 13.6 per game, assists at 8.4 to Reese’s 1.9 and even blocks at 0.7 to Reese’s 0.5, despite the height disadvantage.

Like Clark, Reese also broke a WNBA single-season record during her rookie year, breaking the single-season rebounds record with 418 during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on September 2. Unlike Clark, Reese did not ultimately own that record. of the season. Following Reese’s season-ending surgery, MVP A’ja Wilson broke Reese’s record in the final week of the season, when Wilson recorded her 419th rebound.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the field during the first half at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, August 25, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)

Despite the statistical differences between Clark and Reese, the Sky rookie had her passionate supporters pleading her case over Clark this year.

Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, a 6-foot-4 center who specialized in rebounding and dominating in the paint, told Fox News Digital he would vote for Reese above Clark for Rookie of the Year when he had a say during an interview on NBA Night in the Emirates Suite at the US Open in early September.

“I’d say Angel Reese,” said Noah. “When I watch her play, she reminds me a lot of myself.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.