WNBA investigating alleged racist comments at Sky-Fever game

The league didn’t offer specifics on what incident they were reviewing, but there was one notable on-court flareup the Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Sky’s Angel Reese during Saturday’s season-opening showdown for both teams.

In the third quarter, Reese grabbed an offensive rebound and Clark committed a hard foul to prevent her from taking a shot. Following the foul, Reese made her way towards Clark, who was walking towards her team’s bench, but Clark’s teammate Aliyah Boston stepped in Reese’s way in what appeared to be a peacekeeping move, helping keep all parties separated. After a video review, Clark was assessed a flagrant 1 foul for the contact to Reese, while Reese and Boston were each handed a technical foul. (Boston didn’t know she received a technical until the postgame press conference.)

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Allegations about racist comments directed toward Reese spread on social media on Saturday during and after the game. On Sunday, the WNBA released a statement: “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 Indiana Fever also released a statement on Sunday about the allegations, which the team said came from Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines.

“We are aware of the allegations of inappropriate fan conduct during yesterday’s game and we are working closely with the WNBA to complete their investigation,” Raines said, according to the statement. “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”

The situation comes just days after the WNBA launches their “No Space for Hate” campaign which was created to combat hate while promoting respect online and in-person at games. This is a “comprehensive approach focused on four key areas: enhanced technological features to detect hateful comments online; increased emphasis on team, arena, and league security measures; reinforcing mental health resources; and alignment of core against hate,” the league said in a press release.

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The WNBA Players Association also released a statement in support of the league’s investigation and referenced the new league campaign.

“The WNBPA is aware of reports of hateful comments at yesterday’s game in Indianapolis and supports the WNBA’s current investigation into this matter. Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport,” the statement said. “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.”