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Ranking Top 10 Best WNBA Rookie of the Year

9 min
Ranking Top 10 Best WNBA Rookie of the Year

Winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award is considered an honor of great prestige among rising stars. It represents the arrival of a new star talent that has very quickly and significantly impacted the league. To this date, this award has recognized many of the great female players who have gone down in history as legends.

This year, Caitlin Clark bagged the Rookie of the Year award, continuing the dignity of the accolade. Now, look at some WNBA players who have received this esteemed award.

Best WNBA Rookie of the Year Awards

Here is a look at some of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history:

RankSeasonPlayerTeamPositionRookie Season PointsNationality
102019Jackie YoungLas Vegas AcesGuard508American
92006Seimone AugustusMinnesota LynxGuard744American
82010Tina CharlesConnecticut SunCenter578American
72011Maya MooreMinnesota LynxForward472American
62018A’ja WilsonLas Vegas AcesForward612American
52004Diana TaurasiPhoenix MercuryGuard578American
42013Elena Delle DonneChicago SkySmall Forward/Shooting Guard543American
32024Caitlin ClarkIndiana FeverGuard769American
22008Candace ParkerLos Angeles SparksForward/Center610American
12002Tamika CatchingsIndiana FeverForward594American

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There are many names in WNBA history worth remembering, but today let us take a detailed look at the top 10 players who won Rookie of the Year awards.

#10. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, 2019

Jackie Young
Image Credits: Official Instagram Page of Jackie Young @j.young5

During her rookie year with the Las Vegas Aces in 2019 Jackie Young became the Rookie of the Year. Jackie Young delivered 8.5 points 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists across every game she played while demonstrating guard abilities beyond scoring. The first-year player achieved a remarkable field-goal accuracy of 49.3% while remaining very efficient.

She proved her defensive prowess by stealing the ball 1.1 times during each contest. During her first WNBA season, the Aces reached playoffs after Young became their 1st selection in the 2019 WNBA Draft.

Young spent her collegiate years at Notre Dame Fighting Irish before entering the WNBA league where she developed her reputation as an athletic guard player.

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#9. Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx, 2006

Seimone Augustus
Seimone Augustus – Official Instagram Handle of Seimone Augustus @moneymone33

Seimone Augustus established herself as the number one WNBA Draft selection of 2006 when the Minnesota Lynx chose her first. Augustus scored 21.9 points per game during her rookie year to win the Rookie of the Year title while becoming the top-scoring rookie in WNBA history.

The Lynx secured consistent offensive production from Augustus after she took the 1st spot in the 2006 WNBA Draft and became their primary offensive player. Augustus developed into a challenging defensive assignment because she scored effectively from all areas of the floor which established her path to becoming a legendary player.

#8. Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun, 2010

Tina Charles
Tina Charles – Official Instagram Page of Tina Charles

Tina Charles became the very first selection of the 2010 WNBA Draft after the Connecticut Sun chose her as number 1. The 1st overall choice in the 2010 WNBA Draft selected Charles who became a rookie leader with 15.5 points and 11.7 rebounds in each game which she used to make 398 total rebounds for that season.

The Sun showcased a competitive season because Charles established leadership on rebounds and scored efficiently from the post position. The rookie season began with immediate success which secured her the Rookie of the Year recognition and she quickly became a top center player in the WNBA

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#7. Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx, 2011

Maya Moore
Maya Moore – Official Instagram Handle of Maya Moore @mooremaya

Maya Moore became a Minnesota Lynx player following a top selection in the 2011 WNBA Draft where she produced 13.2 points and captured 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists each game. With her multiple abilities to score and her flexible playing style, Maya Moore steered the Lynx to dominate their competition with 27–7 wins and their first-ever WNBA title.

The Lynx received a valuable two-directional contribution from Moore who played effectively on both sides of the court. Maya Moore received the Rookie of the Year honor after demonstrating her talent on the court.

#6. A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, 2018

A'ja Wilson
A’ja Wilson – Official Instagram Handle of A’ja Wilson @ajawilson22

After becoming the Las Vegas Aces‘ first draft selection in 2018 A’ja Wilson achieved a successful rookie year with averages of 20.7 points combined with 8.0 rebounds per contest. Her scoring statistics ranked high among all rookie players as she emerged as the defense’s crucial offensive element for the Las Vegas Aces.

Wilson demonstrated versatility in the game by scoring inside while simultaneously making shots from mid-range positions which increased her threat potential and added defensive value to her overall game. Winning Rookie of the Year became her reward for her successful debut season.

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#5. Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury, 2004

Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi – Official Instagram Handle of Diana Taurasi @dianataurasi

To make it to the top five list, a player must finish in the top four for MVP rankings. Diana Taurasi accomplished this feat in 2004, earning the third spot for the Phoenix Mercury. For twenty years, she held the title of the greatest new guard ever. 

Though some rookie players in 2004 may have superior statistics, the MVP voters recognized the difficulty of transitioning to the point guard position in the WNBA compared to others. Similar to the other ones mentioned here, she also received a positional increase. However, the WNBA player on the first team managed to maintain averages of 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, a feat only matched by Caitlin Clark among rookie guards. 

Taurasi easily won Rookie of the Year over Alana Beard from Washington, and similar to Clark, her intangibles helped her effortlessly crack the top five.

#4. Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky, 2013

Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne – Official Instagram Handle of Elena Delle Donne @de11edonne

Elena Delle Donne’s rookie season ranks near the top of the second-tier grouping, alongside Clark, Taurasi, Bird, and Stewart, thanks to advanced metrics despite the slim margins when facing elites. The player from Delaware ranks third in historical true rookie PER with a score of 25.2 and wins shares with 6.5. By averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game, Delle Donne played a crucial role in leading the Chicago Sky to their initial postseason appearance in 2013, marking their eighth year in the league.

 At 6’5″, she ranks third among qualified true rookies in three-point percentage at 43.8, and is the top free-throw shooter among true rookies with a percentage of .929, making her one of the deadliest in the game. All of that contributed to finishing in third place in the MVP voting, just two spots behind the prime Candace Parker. Before achieving two MVP awards in her illustrious career, she also received the Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA Second Team honors in 2013.

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#3. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever, 2024

Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark – Official Instagram Handle of @caitlinclark22

The achievements of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are exceptional. Her achievements include being WNBA’s all-time assists leader with 337 assists in a single season, setting the best-ever single-season average with 8.4 assists per game, recording the highest number of points scored in a season by a point guard (769), making 122 three-pointers, ranking second overall in history for any player, and became the only newcomer in history to achieve two triple-doubles.

Regrettably, the 22-year-old point guard set an unwelcome milestone when she broke the WNBA single-season turnover record with 223 turnovers.

She had two additional turnovers per game compared to Alyssa Thomas, who ranked second on the all-time single-season turnovers list this year. Partly due to this, her PER (3.0) and win shares (18.8) are far from being ranked in the top 10 rookies in either category. 

#2. Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks, 2008

Candace Parker
Candace Parker – Official Instagram Handle of Candace Parker @candaceparker

Just over a month after being selected as the top pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, Candace Parker scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and made two steals in her first game with the Los Angeles Sparks. 

It was an indication of what was to come in the season and her upcoming Hall of Fame career. At just 22 years old, the player from Tennessee averaged 18.5 points, 2.3 blocks, and a league-best 9.5 rebounds per game, stats that no rookie has ever equaled in a single season, except for A’ja Wilson in 2024 and Lisa Leslie in 2001.

Both of them received the MVP award in their years. It could indicate how Parker’s experience during awards season in ’08 unfolded. 

Fans should not forget that Parker did secure the 2008 MVP title. Impressively, she successfully obtained it alongside her teammate Leslie, a three-time MVP winner who was not at her peak then.

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#1. Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever, 2002

Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings – Official Instagram Handles of Tamika Catchings @catchin24

In 2021, Tamika Catchings described her hearing loss as a “superpower,” using it as motivation to enhance her court awareness, as she told the New York Times

Tennessee’s star, who was the No. 3 pick of the Fever in 2001, displayed a variety of on-court abilities as a rookie at 22 years old. This was much to the dismay of other teams in the league. Following a year of absence due to an ACL injury during the draft, the forward achieved impressive rookie per-game stats in 2002 with 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 2.9 steals, ranking her in the top six of all-time.

The future Hall of Famer had a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 30.9, which was 3.5 points higher than Parker, who ranked second among rookies. Her 9.2 win shares also exceeded Parker’s by 1.5, placing her at the 11th position in all-time player rankings. 

WNBA Rookie Years Stats

Below are the rookie year stats of the top 10 best WNBA rookie of the year:

PlayerRookie YearTeamPPGRPGAPGBPG
Jackie Young2019Las Vegas Aces6.62.33.30.2
Seimone Augustus2006Minnesota Lynx21.93.81.50.2
Tina Charles2010Connecticut Sun15.59.51.51.7
Maya Moore2011Minnesota Lynx13.24.62.60.5
A’ja Wilson2018Las Vegas Aces20.78.02.21.7
Diana Taurasi2004Phoenix Mercury17.04.43.90.6
Elena Delle Donne2013Chicago Sky18.15.61.82.0
Caitlin Clark2024Indiana Fever19.25.78.40.4
Candace Parker2008Los Angeles Sparks 18.59.53.42.3
Tamika Catchings2002Indiana Fever18.68.63.71.3

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