A few months ago, Lisa Leslie called it her honor to lend her voice to a Caitlin Clark commercial. This was before her WNBA debut. Since then, the WNBA legend hasn’t shied away from praising the Fever rookie. Last night, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse was already rocking, after all, their team made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The win over Sparks also helped the franchise further solidify their place in the playoffs. And just like that, not just the team, but even the 22-year-old guard continued her domination in the W. Once again, grabbing the attention of the WNBA legend.

Taking it to her X account, Leslie tweeted, “@CaitlinClark22 congratulations again and again! You continue to elevate your game and your team!! The triple double and playoff bound! The separation is clear🏆 Good luck @IndianaFever 🔥”

With 16.4 seconds left, Caitlin Clark scored two free throws to give Indiana a seven-point lead. With this, her stat line for the night came down to 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Continuing the play, Kia Nurse of the LA Sparks tried to reduce the deficit with a deep 3-pointer but missed. Surrounding the basket were Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and the Des Moines native. Knowing exactly where the ball would return, Clark gobbled up the rebound. With the catch, the crowd of 16,645 Fever fans stood to give this star a much-deserved standing ovation. But instead of simply winning the game, it was for her second WNBA career triple-double. She’s the only rookie to do it twice in the league’s 28 years.

During the game, she also broke another record by becoming the first rookie with 100 three-pointers. Not only that, but she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach this mark. Breaking the record set by Rhyne Howard, who took 40 games, while the Iowa graduate took just 34 outings in her professional career.

It was not the first time Caitlin Clark broke the Atlanta Dream guard’s record. During the game between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever, she hit her 86th shot from beyond the arc and surpassed the 85 three-pointers record set by Howard during her 2022 campaign. At the time too, Leslie showed her appreciation for Clark. “Congratulations @CaitlinClark22 I’m so proud of you and you are just getting started!! 💕🙏🏾Let it Rain🏀🏀🏀.” Even with the praise for Clark, she faced backlash for her comments on the ROTY race.

Is Caitlin Clark not the consensus ROTY?

Before the recent game, Clark was announced Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month for August, and a few days ago she also celebrated her Player of the Week. It was her second straight Player of the Week win and only Aces’ A’ja Wilson is the other player to achieve this feat twice this season. Further, Caitlin Clark is the only WNBA rookie to sweep the Player of the Month award.

As per ESPN rankings last week, it was Angel Reese as the number 1 rookie, followed by Clark at #2. Many of the Fever fans were in disbelief and called out ESPN. But Lisa Leslie decided not to pick a side and instead called a joint winner. She tweeted, “I don’t care what comparisons you make both @Reese10Angel and @CaitlinClark22 deserve the Rookie of the Year Award! The pressure and the weight of this season has forever changed the @WNBA and both rookies rose to the top and exceeded all our expectations! Take a bow ladies👏🏽👏🏽.”

Fever has been on a winning streak of 5, and a record of 8-2 in the last 10. On the other hand, Angel Reese and the Sky have suffered the opposite (2-8) in the last 10 games. Both these women have stated multiple times that ROTY is not a priority race, the team achieving their goals matters more. And currently, it is Indiana that has qualified for the playoffs and seems to be a better unit. Only time will tell if the playoff contention will sway the voting in the end in favor of Clark, or will Reese come out on top.