WNBA Star Alyssa Thomas Opens Up About Racist Harassment She Received from Indiana Fever Fans This Season
Noa Dalzell/SB Nation
Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas revealed the extent of the racist harassment her team received from Indiana Fever fans throughout the season.
The Sun on Wednesday beat the Fever 87-81 to advance to the WNBA semifinals. In their first game Sunday, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington unintentionally hit Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the eye — sparking a wave of outrage from Clark fans. Both players refuted the social media narrative that there was anything malicious about the incident.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Carrington from receiving hate mail.
After winning the series and eliminating the Fever, Thomas opened up about what her team has gone through this season.
“Honestly, it’s, it’s been a lot of nonsense,” she said. “I think in my 11 year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase. You know, we had [Carrington’s] face on a serious this matter that happened in this world and it’s unacceptable, honestly. And, yeah, there’s no place for it, and we’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing; but 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 no, we don’t want fans that are gonna degrade us and call us racial names. I mean, we already see what’s happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect. You know, we come to play basketball for our job and it’s fun, but we don’t want to go to work every day and have social media blown up over things like that. It’s uncalled for and something needs to be done — whether it’s, you know, them checking their fans or this league checking it. There’s no time for it anymore.”
Shortly after Thomas’s comments, the WNBA released a statement condemning “racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams, and anyone affiliated with the league.”
Although Clark’s arrival in the league has brought unprecedented viewership, a number of players have expressed similar treatment as a result of on-court incidents with the rookie guard — including Chicago Sky stars Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter. Clark has condemned the actions of those fans, but the racism has persisted.
