“Really hoopin”- Trae Young praises rookie Angel Reese after record breaking double-double streak

By Mathews Kannanthara

Modified Jul 08, 2024 12:30 GMT

NBA star Trae Young praised Angel Reese after the Chicago Sky rookie broke the WNBA's record for a double-double streak on Sunday.

Young took to X, formerly Twitter, to congratulate Reese on her accomplishment.

Reese notched her 13th straight double-double during her team's game against the Seattle Storm—overtaking the previous record set by Candace Parker. The Sky rookie recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and one block in the matchup where her team lost 84-71.

She is also averaging a double-double for the season with 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 20 games. Her commendable performance has earned her an All-Star selection, and she will be the only other rookie to feature in this year's All-Star game alongside Caitlin Clark.

ESPN analyst thinks Angel Reese deserves WNBA Rookie of the Year over Caitlin Clark

Reese and Clark are arguably the biggest rookie standouts this year, and they have been breaking league records. Reese's latest accolade was her record-breaking double-double streak, while Clark's most recent accomplishment was becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double in WNBA history.

With the season almost halfway done, Clark is currently the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. However, ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck thinks that Reese should win instead and highlighted the LSU alumna's efficiency stats to support her cause:

“It is a thin, thin line,” Peck said in ESPN's WNBA Countdown. “It’s really tight, but when you look at where the teams are, and I also went a little deeper and I looked at plus/minus and I also look at NET rating... When you look at that, Angel Reese has to get the nod.

“Now, I know it’s not a popular position to take because Angel Reese has to do the dirty work. I have said it’s not sexy to have to battle and rebound inside where you have to do the blue-collar work. But this is a player that has come in as a rookie and is putting up grown woman numbers. 12 double-doubles in a row in one season. So when you see a young woman come in like that and do that, I would have to give the nod with her efficiency rating and also plus/minus.”

Both rookies have shown great potential to become stars in the league for a long time. However, it remains to be seen if Reese can edge out Clark and be recognized as this year's best rookie.