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Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark react to WNBA’s hateful fan comments probe

1 month agoZoe Grossman

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark each broke their silence on the aftermath of the Chicago Sky’s heated 93-58 loss to the Indiana Fever in Saturday’s WNBA season opener.

Reese, the Sky’s star forward, and Clark, the Fever’s sharp-shooting guard, each expressed their desire to move on from the game, but the WNBA announced it was investigating allegations of fans’ hateful comments directed toward Reese at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

[MORE: WNBA investigating fans’ racial comments toward Angel Reese at Sky-Fever game]

Clark told media Monday that she fully supported the WNBA’s decision to examine the allegations.

“There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society,” Clark said after the Fever’s practice. “Certainly, we want every person who comes into our arena — whether player or fan — to have a great experience. I appreciate the league doing that. I appreciate that the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that.”

Reese echoed Clark’s words after the Sky’s practice Tuesday.

“Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that. I think the WNBA and our organization have done a great job supporting me,” Reese said. “I’ve had communication from so many people across this league. … This whole process, it could happen to anyone.”

Clark’s Flagrant 1 foul on Reese during a third-quarter layup sparked a scuffle between the teams, with Reese and Indiana’s Aliyah Boston receiving technical fouls after the fact. Reese tried to confront Clark over the nature of the foul, but Boston kept the two apart.

No one on the Fever heard any specific fan comments directed toward Reese, but the team and players, including Boston, said they supported the league’s investigation, per ESPN’s Michael Voepel.

“No type of hate is ever welcomed here,” Boston said. “As a player, you just have to stay strong and be able to call it out if something happens.”

Reese expressed her appreciation for the league and its swift response to protecting both her and every player.

“They understand that this is the priority. (A few) days ago, they put out (No Space for Hate),” Reese said of the WNBA’s new league-wide platform dedicated to “taking action to create a safer, more unified space for all,” which launched May 15. “I believe that every player in this league deserves to be treated with respect.”

The Sky and Fever next will meet June 7 at United Center — the second of five scheduled matchups this season — and both teams certainly will want the WNBA investigation resolved by then.