WNBA investigating alleged racial slurs by fans toward Angel Reese during Indiana game: reports

Doug Feinberg · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 19, 2025 12:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The WNBA is investigating allegations of radical comments directed toward Angel Reese by fans during the Chicago Sky's nonaccomplishment to Caitlin Clark and the Fever astatine Indiana connected Saturday, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the situation.

The idiosyncratic spoke to The Associated Press connected Sunday connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the league had not publically identified the taxable of the taunts oregon who made the allegations.

"The WNBA powerfully condemns racism, hate, and favoritism successful each forms — they person nary spot successful our league oregon successful society," the league said successful a statement. "We are alert of the allegations and are looking into the matter."

Reese, who is Black, and Clark, who is white, met for the seventh clip successful their ongoing — and much-talked-about — rivalry. Clark was named Rookie of the Year past play and Reese finished 2nd successful the voting.

The WNBA Players Union released a connection soon aft the league's remark connected the matter.

"The WNBPA is alert of reports of hateful comments astatine yesterday's crippled successful Indianapolis and supports the WNBA's existent probe into this matter. Such behaviour is unacceptable successful our sport," the connection said. "Under the WNBA's `No Space for Hate' policy, we spot the league to thoroughly analyse and instrumentality swift, due enactment to guarantee a harmless and welcoming situation for all."

Sky president and CEO Adam Fox said aboriginal Sunday successful a connection that the enactment welcomes the league's investigation.

"We volition bash everything successful our powerfulness to support Chicago Sky players, and we promote the league to proceed taking meaningful steps to make a harmless situation for each WNBA players," helium said.

4 much meetings this season

The Sky and Fever volition play 4 much times during the regular season.

"We are alert of the allegations of inappropriate instrumentality behaviour during yesterday's crippled and we are moving intimately with the WNBA to implicit their investigation," the Fever said successful a statement. "We basal steadfast successful our committedness to providing a harmless situation for each WNBA players."

Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds successful the 93-58 nonaccomplishment to the Fever. The Sky guardant and Clark had an incidental connected the tribunal with 4:38 near successful the 3rd quarter. It started with Reese grabbing an violative rebound and Clark slapping Reese's limb hard capable to jar the shot escaped and sound Reese to floor.

When Reese got up, she tried to face Clark earlier Indiana centre Aliyah Boston stepped successful betwixt the players. Clark's 3rd idiosyncratic foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1, portion Boston and Reese each drew method fouls pursuing a replay reappraisal by the referees.

Both players downplayed the play aft the game.

The league launched "No Space for Hate" this season, a multi-dimensional level designed to combat hatred and beforehand respect crossed each WNBA spaces some online and successful arenas.

The league is focused connected 4 areas: enhanced technological features to observe hateful comments online; accrued accent connected team, arena and league information measures; reinforcing intelligence wellness resources; and alignment against hate.

This volition beryllium the league's archetypal trial of it.

"It's bully successful words, but we got to spot actions," Aces prima A'ja Wilson said Friday aft practice. "Hopefully radical tin instrumentality actions and recognize this is bigger than basketball. We're existent radical down it. Any footwear that we wear, immoderate jersey we person on, we're human. People person to respect that. I anticipation they wage attraction and perceive to the words."