The rookie season endeavors of Angel Reese continue to mesmerize the WNBA fans. Chennedy Carter added volume to this while publicly endorsing the campaign of her Chicago Sky teammate. This caught the eyes of Shaquille O’Neal, prompting him to acknowledge the 25-year-old’s statement.
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Shaq’s actions circled Carter’s recently showered high praise for Reese. He openly supported the Sky star’s comments which singled out the latter as the prime contender for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. After an Instagram post put Carter’s statement into the spotlight, O’Neal shared it from his story to reinforce the narrative.
Shaq chooses Angel Reese as his ROTY pic.twitter.com/mVQA908UQE
— Ballerz Worldwide (@ballaznba) July 6, 2024
The initial comments surfaced following the Sky’s latest 88-84 away victory against the Seattle Storm. Reese was a key architect behind this win, registering a remarkable stat line of 27 points and 10 rebounds.
This marked her 12th straight double-double of the season while putting her on the verge of creating history. She is now one such feat away from becoming the WNBA player with the most double-doubles in the league’s history.
Shortly after, Carter capitalized on this momentum while highlighting Reese’s endeavors. Without hesitation, she outlined the 22-year-old as the leading candidate for the accolade, stating, “Barbie [Angel Reese] is Rookie of the Year”.
Her comments remained justified, considering Reese’s consistency and impact. Despite an underwhelming start to the campaign, she quickly found her feet, resulting in an average of 13.9 points, and 11.7 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from the floor. It also paved the way for a magnificent turnaround in Chicago as the Sky climbed up to the 7th spot on the table.
As a result, Shaq’s backing also remained valid. And much to his delight, the experts of the game have started to align with his beliefs.
Angel Reese continues to gain support
Reese is set to lock horns with her long-time nemesis, Caitlin Clark, to claim this award. Both of them are changing the trajectory of the league while marking a historical year. This neck-and-neck fight has divided opinions, making it difficult for several to choose a clear winner.
Yet, Monica McNutt has recently provided the Sky rookie with a slight edge over the Indiana Fever youngster. On ESPN’s Get Up, the analyst outlined Reese’s impact on her franchise and the league as the key reasons behind her decision. Expressing her stance, she mentioned,
“My Rookie of the Year is going to go based on the standings. The Sky right now are in the playoffs, so you have to give the nod, in my mind, to Angel Reese. Look, the double-double streak [of Reese] rocking and rolling chasing down, 12 double-doubles is the record that spanned over two seasons. She has already gotten to 11”.
This has extended the support behind Reese while glorifying her actions further. At the same time, this has built an exciting premise for the award, planting the seeds for a marvelous end to the season.
