WNBA investigates hateful comments toward Sky star Angel Reese by fans at Gainbridge Arena
Hours before the Sky’s season opener against the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, star forward Angel Reese praised Indianapolis as a great environment for women’s basketball and said the passion there was exciting for the sport.
She probably felt differently when she left the building.
The WNBA said Sunday it is looking into whether fans in the arena crossed the line into hate speech toward Reese and targeted her with racism. After hearing those allegations, presumably from the Sky, though they have not commented, the league announced an investigation.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” it said in a statement.
Fans booed Reese throughout the day, starting with player introductions, and the volume peaked when she went to the free-throw line in the third quarter after a flagrant foul by Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Clark pushed Reese to the floor to prevent her from getting a layup, sparking an altercation that resulted in a delay and a double technical foul for Reese and Fever forward Aliyah Boston. Reese jumped up and yelled at Clark as she walked away, while officials went to replay review to determine if the original call of a common foul should be upgraded to a flagrant.
Clark disputed the ruling of a flagrant during and after the game, but crew chief Roy Gulbeyan said it met the criteria because of Clark’s “windup, impact and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back.” He also called it “not a legitimate basketball play” and “unnecessary contact.”
The crowd predictably took Clark’s side and roared with boos as the decision was announced and Reese shot her free throws.
She took the high road after the game, a 93-58 win by the Fever in which she scored 12 points and had 17 rebounds. Her only comment was, “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on.”
Clark and Fever coach Stephanie White disagreed with the call in their postgame news conferences.
"Let's not make it something that it's not," Clark said. "I wasn't trying to do anything malicious. That's not the type of player I am."
Sky coach Tyler Marsh, making his debut on the sideline, defended Reese.
“Emotions were high on both sides,” he said. “Angel reacted in a way that any of us would’ve reacted in a moment like that.
“For her and us, it’s the understanding that we are all in this together. We’ve got her back in that locker room and on this coaching staff.”
Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said in a statement the organization will work with the league’s investigation. The Sky did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
The WNBA players' union issued a statement urging the league to “thoroughly investigate and take swift, appropriate action to ensure a safe and welcoming environment.”
The incident comes at a time when the WNBA is pushing the Reese-Clark rivalry as a key storyline for the season and putting all five Sky-Fever games on national television. At the same time, it is ramping up its effort to eliminate player harassment with its “No Space for Hate” campaign, which targets what commissioner Cathy Engelbert called “hate and vitriol” everywhere from social media to arenas.
Reese has faced increasing hostility as she has become more prominent, and the rivalry with Clark has exacerbated it dating back to Reese’s LSU team beating Clark and Iowa for the national championship in 2023.
As the WNBA tried to capitalize on their rivalry, Reese grew annoyed with Clark getting most of the credit for drawing new fans and said last year that people were watching her, too, as she was cast in “the bad guy role.” If that dynamic is indeed what the league wanted, the latest episode is a clear signal it has gone too far.