Latest news with #WNBAPlayersAssociation
National Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Caitlin Clark says hate has ‘no place' in WNBA after alleged fan comments
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.' Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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.' Article content 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. Article content 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.' Article content 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.'
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
WNBA investigating claims of racist comments during Clark-Reese game
The WNBA says it is looking into allegations of 'hateful fan comments' during Indiana Fever's fiery win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday. Indiana eased to a 93-58 victory in their season opener against Chicago but the main storyline came when Fever star Caitlin Clark was called for a flagrant-1 foul on her long-time rival Angel Reese, which led to a brief confrontation between the players. The pair's rivalry started in college and has continued into the WNBA. Clark is white and Reese is Black, and there has been racist and misogynistic abuse online around their relationship. Sources have told the Indianapolis Star the investigation is based around racist comments directed towards Reese from a member or members of the crowd, although they are not believed to have been directly related to the incident with Clark. On Sunday, the WNBA said it is looking into the matter without going into specifics. 'The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms – they have no place in our league or in society. We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter,' the league said in its statement. The WNBA Players' Association released its own statement on the subject. 'Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport. Under the WNBA's 'No Space for Hate' policy, we trust the league to thoroughly investigate and take swift, appropriate action to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all,' the association wrote. Both Clark and Reese downplayed the foul after Saturday's game. 'Let's not make it something that it's not,' Clark said. 'It was just a good play on the basketball … I've watched a lot of basketball in my life, that's exactly what it was. I wasn't trying to do anything malicious. That's not the type of player I am.' Reese indicated she did not believe Clark was being cynical when she committed the foul, saying it was 'a basketball play.' Last season, a number of players who committed fouls on Clark were subjected to a significant amount of racist, sexist and homophobic comments online from people purporting to defend the guard. 'People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It's disappointing. It's not acceptable,' Clark said last June. '... Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect, I think, it's just a basic human thing that everybody should do.'
