Caitlin Clark says hate has ‘no place’ in WNBA after alleged fan comments

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Asked Monday about alleged comments described as “hateful” by the WNBA players union, Caitlin Clark said “there’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society.”

The comments were said to have come from the stands during a game Saturday between Clark’s Indiana Fever and the visiting Chicago Sky, which features fellow second-year star Angel Reese. Without specifying what was alleged to have been said, the WNBA said Sunday that it “strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms” and that it was looking into the matter.

Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, cited sources in reporting that the comments were directed at Reese during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Spokespeople for the Fever and Sky did not immediately respond Monday to requests for confirmation and additional comment.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association said in a statement Sunday it was “aware of reports of hateful comments” at the game and that “such behavior is unacceptable in our sport.”

According to the Indianapolis Star, a report filed to the WNBA indicated the alleged comments were not related to a much-discussed moment in the game when Clark delivered a hard foul to Reese as the Sky standout went for a layup after grabbing an offensive rebound. Reese tumbled to the court, then got up and approached Clark, who walked away as officials and Indiana teammates intervened. Clark was issued a flagrant-one foul.

After the game, a 93-58 Fever win, both players downplayed the significance of their interaction. Clark described it as a routine take foul simply meant to send Reese to the free throw line rather than let her make a layup, and Reese said it amounted to a “basketball play.”

The moment added another chapter to the on-court history of Clark and Reese after the latter celebrated a 2023 national championship win for her LSU Tigers over Iowa by taunting Clark, then the superstar centerpiece for the Hawkeyes. Reese and LSU subsequently lost to Clark’s Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA tournament, after which Reese became the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft. Clark was drafted first overall and took the WNBA by storm, but along the way, the physical treatment she occasionally experienced sparked discussion of how her status as a White phenom in a league composed primarily of Black players could be influencing public reaction to those episodes.

As the players union noted Sunday, the WNBA recently announced a “No Space for Hate” platform intended, as the league described it, to “combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces – from online discourse to in-arena behavior.” Regarding the alleged comments in the Fever-Sky game, the WNBPA said it trusted the league to “thoroughly investigate and take swift, appropriate action to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

At a Fever practice Monday, Clark told reporters she did not hear the alleged comments, noting it was “super loud” in the arena.

“I think that’s why [the WNBA is] doing the investigation,” Clark said. “That doesn’t mean nothing happened, so I’ll just trust the league’s investigation, and I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.”

Clark added that “we want every person that comes into our arena – whether player, whether fan – to have a great experience” and that she expected the WNBA to “take the proper action” if warranted by its investigation.

The Sky’s team president and chief executive, Adam Fox, said in a statement Sunday that members of his organization would “do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players.” He said the team welcomed the WNBA’s investigation of “allegations of fan misconduct,” as did the Fever’s Brianna Turner.

“I think all players in the [WNBA] should feel safe, whether they’re playing at Gainbridge or on the road,” Turner, a seventh-year WNBA player in her first season with Indiana, told reporters Monday. “I think a lot of times, people want to approach this like, ‘Oh, it was only one person,’ but one person is too many. If one person said something, I think it’s worth an investigation.”