“I’m Not Thinking About Rookie of the Year”: Angel Reese Snubs Major Personal Accolade in Search of Collective Glory

Angel Reese continues to silence her critics. Not only has Reese cemented her place on the Chicago roster, but her phenomenal performances also put her in serious contention for the Rookie of the Year honor. The ferocious former Lady Tiger has already made her debut season a memorable one by inking her name in the record books, surpassing legendary WNBA stars such as Candace Parker. However, for Chicago’s No.5, personal achievements do not take precedence over any sort of collective team success.

The 3x All-American forward’s recent interaction with the media might put an end to various reservations of her haters. Apparently, there is a particular section of people who have carried the “selfish” narrative against her on social media. “I’m not thinking about Rookie of the Year. I’m just thinking about being in the playoffs. Being able to be better than last year for this team. I came here just to win. Personal accolades are something I really don’t get into,” Reese told reporters, putting the forced narrative to rest.

Despite not paying attention to the award, Reese does make a compelling case for herself. The highlight of her as a rookie so far has been the 13 consecutive double-doubles she’s produced in the league. She surpassed the record of 12 set by former Chicago power forward Candace Parker in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. On top of that, she is also the second-fastest player after Yolanda Griffith in 1999 to reach the 275 points, 225 rebounds, and 30 steals mark. Angel Reese accomplished this feat in just 20 games.

While she would have been the clear frontrunner for the ROTY award in most seasons, Caitlin Clark’s stunning performances have made this into a race for the ages. There is not much to separate the two in terms of stats, so team performance might come into play in the end. In the meantime, the 6 ft 3 in forward prepares herself for the next encounter.

Angel Reese and Co. prepare themselves for a “Dream” challenge

The opponents in line for Chicago are their Eastern Conference competitors, the Atlanta Dream. The battle between these two franchises has been neck-to-neck as both are placed just immediately next to one another. For the time being, the Sky holds onto the last playoff spot with an 8-12 record, while Atlanta is one game behind with a 7-13 record.

Both teams will enter the contest on the back of a loss in their previous fixtures. Still, Angel Reese and Chicago will be the favorites given their recent form and the fact that Atlanta is currently on a 4-game losing streak. Anyhow, both teams have had one win each over one another in their previous 2 encounters.

Despite an upper hand, this will not be a walk in the park for the 2021 WNBA champions. Further, Angel Reese might also wanna bring her A-game considering the threats posed by heavyweights like Allisha Gray and Tina Charles. As for the fans, some blockbuster entertainment awaits them at the Wintrust Arena.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.