Caitlin Clark has condemned alleged racist comments made toward Angel Reese by fans during the Indiana Fever’s win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday.
The fierce competitors faced off for the seventh time in their much-discussed ongoing rivalry. Last season, Clark earned the Rookie of the Year title, while Reese came in as the runner-up.
A tense moment arose in the third quarter with an incident involving the Sky forward and Clark. It began when Reese grabbed an offensive rebound, only for Clark to slap Reese’s arm with enough force to dislodge the ball and send Reese tumbling to the ground.
When Reese got up, she tried to confront Clark before Indiana center Aliyah Boston stepped in between the players.
The alleged racist incident that occurred, however, is not connected to Clark’s foul on the Sky forward or the brief altercation that ensued, according to the Indianapolis Star. The investigation is reportedly focusing on comments from Fever fans inside the arena directed at Reese.
In the aftermath of the game, the WNBA said in a statement: ‘We strongly condemn 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.’
Caitlin Clark condemned alleged racist comments made toward Angel Reese by fans Saturday
The WNBA launched a racism investigation a day after the bitter rivals got into it on the court
The league announced the investigation in a statement pointing to the Indiana-Chicago game
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Clark condemned the incident and said: ‘There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society.
‘We want every person that comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience.’
In an angry video posted on X, Dave Portnoy – who attended the game in Indiana – alleged that internet ‘trolls’ who dislike Clark are responsible for the ‘false’ accusations which have triggered the WNBA investigation.
The Barstool Sports founder also hit out at the WNBA for acknowledging the rumors, accusing them of trying to ‘kill the golden goose’ in a reference to Clark and the Fever.
According to Portnoy, any claims that Angel was racially abused by the home crowd are ‘total garbage’.
‘Can’t believe I’m making this video. I was at Caitlin Clark’s opener, [she scored a] triple double, [I] won a s*** ton of money… great day,’ he began in the video message.
‘Today I see online, starting last night, just salty trolls, and I don’t even know actually if they’re just Chicago Sky fans, I think they’re just trolls. They’re people who just hate Caitlin Clark.
‘They’re trolls and they’re like, “Of course the Indiana Fever are making monkey sounds and other racist sounds at Angel Reese” – which is total garbage, totally made up.’
A furious Dave Portnoy insists Reese was not racially abused by Indiana Fever fans
Both Reese and Clark were quick to play down the fiery incident after being quizzed on it
While doubling down on his claim that the accusations are ‘100 percent false’, and even alleging that footage of himself at the game has been doctored by fans online, Portnoy said he would be ‘stunned beyond belief’ if he is wrong on the matter.
After the game, Reese issued a blunt eight-word verdict on the bust-up, insisting the referees got it right and urging people to ‘move on.’
When asked for her thoughts on Clark’s foul, she simply said: ‘Basketball play, refs got it right, move on.’
During an in-game interview with ESPN, Clark said there was ‘nothing malicious’ about the foul and called it a basketball play.
‘It’s just a good take foul,’ she said. ‘You know, either Angel gets a wide open two points, or we send them to the free-throw line.
‘Nothing malicious about it. It’s just a good take foul. Every basketball player knows that.’
