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The WNBA issued a strong statement after Caitlin Clark had a Connecticut Sun momentarily removed from his seat following a heated exchange between the two in Game 2.
Clark and the Indiana Fever were eliminated, losing 87-81 in a chippy game Wednesday night, September 25, as the Sun moved on to the semifinals.
“The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world,” the statement read. “While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement, as necessary.”
During a dead-ball situation in the first quarter, Clark had a heated back-and-forth with a Sun fan seated courtside. Mohegan Sun Arena security escorted the fan out of his courtside seat.
The fan returned to his seat quickly after the review of the play, which involved Clark and veteran Sun guard DeWanna Bonner.
“Stayed focused on what’s on the floor and my four other teammates,” Clark said during an ESPN courtside interview after the opening quarter when asked about the incident.
Caitlin Clark’s Explosive Game Not Enough
The sensational Fever rookie delivered 25 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds, but those eye-popping numbers were not enough to send the game into a do-or-die Game 3 at Indiana.
Clark’s arrival in the WNBA transformed the league because of her popularity as a superstar at the University of Iowa and because her game translated well to the pros, especially after the Olympic break.
She spearheaded the Fever’s rise from a woeful 1-8 start to crash the WNBA playoffs as the No. 6 seed. The No. 3 seed Sun, however, is the more complete and more experienced team.
Racial Tension Heats Up in WNBA Amid Caitlin Clark’s Rise
Similar to the way the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry in the 1980s catapulted the NBA into what is today, the rivalry between Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese of Chicago Sky had a similar effect on the WNBA.
Their collegiate rivalry from the NCAA carried over to the WNBA, creating intrigue and drawing record attendance and viewership.
However, racial tension is also at an all-time high, with some fans going overboard in their fandom.
After unintentionally poking poked Clark’s eye in Game 2, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington received email threats, some of which included a racial slur and the threat of sexual assault, she said in an Instagram Story.
Carrington did not comment on the issue after the game, but her teammate Alyssa Thomas denounced the Fever fan who made such deregatory remark.
“It’s been a lot of nonsense,” Thomas told reporters after the Sun’s Game 2 win. “I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like I have) from the Indiana Fever fan base. … It’s unacceptable.”
“I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction. But we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names.”
Some of the Sky players also shared the same harrowing experience from some toxic WNBA fans.
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