INDIANAPOLIS – At Friday’s news conference following the conclusion of the Indiana Fever’s season, rookie Caitlin Clark and head coach Christie Sides condemned the racist rhetoric many WNBA players said they’ve experienced this season.

“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful (or) hateful comments and threats,” Clark said. “Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls, and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA.”

The online targeting of WNBA players appears to have reached a tipping point during the postseason. After the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Fever in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday, Sun veteran Alyssa Thomas pointed to the “Indiana Fever fan base” as directing hateful comments at her and her teammates. Sun guard DiJonai Carrington shared online before Game 2 against the Fever an email she received from an anonymous source that included threatening and racist language.

The Athletic’s @RomeovilleKid asked Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark about the racism and other negativity players have endured this season.

“Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls.”pic.twitter.com/Im0IeDjGkv

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 27, 2024

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“I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like those) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas said. ” … It’s unacceptable, honestly, and, yeah, there’s no place for it. 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, nah, we don’t want fans that are gonna degrade us and call us racial names.”

Thomas said the Fever should start “checking their fans,” and also called on the WNBA to do more to protect its players. Sun coach Stephanie White said the toxicity her players have experienced, as well as players around the league, is unacceptable but also a reflection of society. She specifically mentioned “racism, sexism, homophobia (and) transphobia” as issues that plague the country.

The WNBA released a statement on Wednesday also condemning hateful comments toward players: “The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. 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.”

White said the media should not allow online trolls to “become the story” and potentially fuel harmful narratives. Fever forward Aliyah Boston expressed a similar stance in her season-ending news conference.

“I feel like the media plays a big role in what other people think, whether they watch the game or not,” Boston said. “Sometimes people aren’t even watching the games. They’re just looking at storylines and headlines that come out, and they’re running off of that. It’s easy to attach yourself to the Fever because we have a lot of attention around us right now, and it’s so easy to say, ‘Well, I’m a Fever fan, I’m an A.B. fan, I’m a Caitlin fan and just (spew) hate off of that – and that’s never OK.”

Sides began her season-ending news conference Friday, alongside general manager Lin Dunn, by reading a statement that emphasized there is “no place for hate or racism of any kind” in the WNBA. She also said that the people spreading vitriol aren’t “real” Fever fans or WNBA fans.

Clark, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, mentioned in June that people should “not be using my name” to push any hateful agendas. The No. 1 pick broke several records throughout her first season and continues to bring unprecedented viewership ratings and attendance to women’s basketball.

“There are a lot of really good fans, whether they’ve been fans for 20-plus years or whether they’re new fans in our league,” Clark said Friday. “I think continuing to uplift this league in a very positive light is the best thing we can do because there are so many great players, there’s so many great teams, there are so many positive storylines that can be written and celebrated. And for me, that’s why I became a fan of this league.”

Dunn commended Clark for how she’s handled the spotlight, noting the scrutiny and negativity Clark has faced while still leading the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016.

“I think the experiences she had at Iowa were very similar to this. … Sold-out arenas, media, trolls, the whole works,” Dunn said. “She had already dealt with a lot of the things that she is dealing with now, and I think social media has taken a toll on everyone. All of our players, all of our staff. We’ve all had to deal with the issues that we see today, and it’s unfortunate and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”

Required reading

(Photo of Caitlin Clark and Christie Sides: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)