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The WNBA is investigating allegations of “hateful fan comments” made during the season-opening Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 17. The league did not call out specific players, but it is believed the alleged comments were directed toward second-year Sky star Angel Reese.
“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 a statement on Sunday, May 18.
The game, which the Fever won 93-58, was one of the most anticipated early-season matchups on the schedule, with Reese, 23, facing off against Caitlin Clark. As the two stars of the 2024 rookie class and former opponents in the 2023 NCAA championship game, their growing rivalry has become one of the most exciting story lines in the WNBA.
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about the WNBA’s investigation and the rest of the fallout from the Sky-Fever game.
The Key Players
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in the 2023 NCAA Championship Game Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Clark, 23, is a point guard for the Indiana Fever who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Reese, 23, is a forward for the Chicago Sky who was selected 7th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The two players faced off in the 2023 NCAA women’s championship game, where Reese’s LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85.Clark and Reese have both downplayed their perceived rivalry, saying there is no animosity between them.
“Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other,” Reese said last season. “I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super competitive game.”
Clark also addressed their rivalry during her 2023 NCAA Tournament run with the Iowa Hawkeyes, saying she and Reese “have always been great competitors.”
Women’s college basketball has never been more popular, thanks in large part to a fierce rivalry between two of the game’s biggest stars. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark — who became the all-time NCAA scoring leader this season — and LSU’s Angel Reese — who was named SEC Player of the Year — have helped usher in […]
“Obviously she played in the Big Ten for a while to begin her career, and that’s what makes women’s basketball so fun is you have great competition, and that’s what we’ve had all year long,” she added.
It’s only natural, however, that fans would manufacture a rivalry between the two. Reese made her now infamous “can’t see me” gesture at Clark during the final moments of her LSU Tigers’ championship game win over Iowa, only adding fuel to the fire.
When the two entered the WNBA, they quickly emerged as the best two rookies in the league and were involved in a competitive Rookie of the Year race before Clark charged ahead late in the season and Reese suffered a season-ending injury.
The Gist
We don’t know what exactly the WNBA alleges was said, but the incident came during a game in which Clark and Reese had a brief altercation.
In a rare show of tension between the two, Clark was issued a flagrant 1 foul in the third quarter. Reese had secured an offensive rebound before Clark slapped at the ball and knocked her to the ground when she had a clean look at the basket. When Reese got up, she appeared to try and confront Clark before teammates stepped in.
The players themselves say they did not hear the comments, but media and fans alike reported hearing racial insults directed at Reese.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival has been a headline-making affair — both on and off the court. Clark, 22, made her highly anticipated pro debut with the Indiana Fever on May 14, and since then, her fiercely debated status as the face of the league has continued to take some dramatic twists and turns. Most recently, […]
Why It’s a Big Deal
Caitlin Clark Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
After multiple incidents last year of players reporting racist or threatening treatment from fans, the WNBA launched its No Space for Hate campaign at the beginning of the 2025 season.
In one instance, DiJonai Carrington, then of the Connecticut Sun, inadvertently poked Clark in the eye during a 2024 game. Even after both players acknowledged it was an accident, Carrington, 27, said she received death threats, assault threats and racist comments from fans.
Reese also alleged that fans last season either followed her home or showed up at her house to threaten her. She also said fans used AI to share fake nude photos of her on social media.
The WNBA touts its “No Space for Hate” campaign as “a multidimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior.”
“We believe that basketball can be a unifying force — a place where people from all walks of life come together not just to watch a game, but to connect,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement last week. “We want our arenas, and our social platforms filled with energy and fandom — not hate and vitriol.”
What People Are Saying
Clark met with the media on Tuesday, May 20, before the Fever faced the Atlanta Dream and expressed her support for the WNBA’s investigation.
“There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society,” she said. “Certainly, we want every person who comes into our arena — whether player or fan — to have a great experience. I appreciate the league doing that [investigation]. I appreciate that the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that.”
Reese also spoke out, crediting the WNBA for stepping in.
“Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that,” she said after practice on Tuesday. “I think the WNBA and our team and our organization have done a great job supporting me. I’ve had communication from everyone, from so many people across this league.
“Going through this process, obviously if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone,” she added. “I think they’ve done a great job supporting us in this.”
Aliyah Boston, the Fever player who stepped between Reese and Clark during their scuffle, told reporters “no type of hate is ever welcomed here.”
“We, as athletes, have to make sure that fans know it’s OK to be passionate, to cheer us on, to get loud,” she said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about respect. If it was your daughter out on the court, you would want that respect being shown. That has to be the mindset for every fan when they step into an arena.”
What’s Next
Both teams have expressed their support for the investigation, which is ongoing. When it concludes, it will be on the league and the Fever to determine what — if any — action it should take against the fan or fans involved.
The Fever and Sky will meet again on June 7 in Chicago. The Sky will make two more trips to Indianapolis, facing Indiana on the road August 9 and September 5.
