The WNBA could not substantiate reports of racist fan behavior at the May 17 Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever game following its investigation into the matter, the league announced Tuesday.
The WNBA had been investigating reports of allegedly racist behavior in the vicinity of the court, and said it had gathered information from “relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game.”
The following has been released by the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/rFlKQAHmzQ
— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) May 27, 2025
The league had announced it was looking into allegations of hateful comments made from the stands the day after Indiana’s 35-point victory over Chicago, with a source brief on the situation saying the alleged comments were directed toward Sky forward Angel Reese by either a fan or fans at Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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“We appreciate the swift and thorough process undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which were not substantiated,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said in a statement. “At Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we are committed to providing the best possible basketball experience for players and fans where hate speech has absolutely no place. Indiana is home to the world’s greatest fans, and we look forward to an exciting season of Fever basketball.”
The Sky have not responded to a request for comment.
The launch of the investigation came just days removed from the WNBA announcing a season-long platform designed to “combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior.” The allegation marked sparked the first investigation under the platform, which involved creating task force of league and team representatives to focus on four areas, including enhanced technological features to detect hateful comments online and an emphasis on team, arena and league security measures.
Fever star guard Caitlin Clark had denounced hatred and bigotry directed toward the league and its players in the aftermath of the league’s initial announcement. Reese had done the same.
“I think the WNBA and our team and our organization have done a great job supporting me,” the Sky forward said last week. “I’ve had communication from everyone, from so many people across this league. It could happen to me, it can happen to anyone. And I think they’ve done a good job supporting us in this.”
A year ago, numerous players said they dealt with a rise in harassment, including increased targeted racist, misogynistic, homophobic and threatening attacks with players saying such comments took a toll on their mental health.
“They understand that this is a priority,” Reese said last week. “I believe that every player in this league deserves to be treated with respect and wants to come to work and just have fun and have a great environment to work at.”
The Sky play the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night while the Fever next play the Mystics on Wednesday, though Clark will miss the game with a quad injury.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
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