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One of the biggest headlines from opening weekend in the WNBA was Caitlin Clark squaring off against Angel Reese. However, most of the dialogue has been about events that took place off the court.
Following the Indiana Fever's win over the Chicago Sky, the WNBA announced that it would be launching an investigation into the behavior of the crowd. A select group of patrons allegedly yelled hateful and racist comments towards Reese.
Speaking with the media after practice on Monday, Clark condemned the incident. Michael Jordan's former teammate Etan Thomas believes the Fever star should continue her efforts to dispel that part of her fan base.
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"Last WNBA season, I wrote an article for The Guardian titled, “Should Caitlin Clark keep condemning any of her fans who project racism and hate” and the answer is a resounding yes !!!!! She is fully aware of that element of her Fanbase and she has condemned and denounced that element before. Keep condemning them Caitlin Clark," Thomas wrote on social media.
Caitlin Clark speaks on WNBA's investigation into incident involving Angel Reese
While addressing the fans' alleged behaviour towards Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark said she hoped the league could get to the bottom of the situation.
“There’s no place for that in our game, there's no place for that in society," Clark said. "Certainly we want every person who comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience. Hopefully the investigation, we’ll leave that up to [the league] to find anything and take the proper action if so.”
Since being drafted No. 1 in 2024, Caitlin Clark has brought a large number of new fans to the WNBA. This has helped the league as a whole, but the extra attention has come with some drawbacks, with sections of her fanbase accused of trying to use her image and platform to promote racially-charged narratives.
Clark has spoken out against this several times.
