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Rookie Race: Looking back at the WNBA’s closest Rookie of the Year votes

By Kurtis Zimmerman

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 22: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of Dallas Wings hugs Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx after the game between the two teams on August 22, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minneosta. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 22: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of Dallas Wings hugs Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx after the game between the two teams on August 22, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minneosta. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 5: Tracy Reid #00 of the Charlotte Sting drives against the Los Angeles Sparks at Staples Center on July 5, 1999 in Los Angeles, CA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1999 NBAE (Photo by Robert Mora/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 5: Tracy Reid #00 of the Charlotte Sting drives against the Los Angeles Sparks at Staples Center on July 5, 1999 in Los Angeles, CA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1999 NBAE (Photo by Robert Mora/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1998: Tracy Reid

The first year the Rookie of the Year award was handed out was the closest vote the league has ever seen. Tracy Reid (Charlotte Sting) won with 20 votes, just ahead of Korie Hlede (Detroit Shock), who got 18. Ticha Penicheiro (Sacramento Monarchs) rounded out the list with seven.

Reid, the No. 7 pick out of North Carolina that year, led the group in field goal percentage and steals, also posting the lowest turnover and foul average of the group. She was the second-leading scorer on the Sting and led this group of rookies in win shares (3.6). Hlede, the No. 4 pick, led all rookies in scoring (14.1 points per game), and Penicheiro led the league in assists (7.5 per game).

After averaging 14.7 points and 7 rebounds over three wins, Reid was named WNBA Player of the Week on July 19, 1998, the only rookie in this group to win that league-wide honor.

Unfortunately, Hlede suffered a torn ACL with three games left, cutting her rookie season short. Reid played a complete season to help lead the Sting to an 18-12 finish, second in the Eastern Conference and good for a spot in the Playoffs, ultimately pushing her over the edge for the Rookie of the Year honor.

After their rookie season…

Hlede and Reid went on to play through 2002 and 2003, respectively, while Penicheiro played through the 2012 season, earning four All-Star nods, winning a championship with the Monarchs in 2005, and retiring as the league’s all-time leader in assists (2,599).

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