This is certainly not the type of engagement the WNBA envisioned when it pitted Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever in a season opener on May 18. Historically known to draw massive crowds, like it did again with a sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the game was supposed to be all about those numbers—the millions in ticket sales, viewership and everything in between. However, what instead happened was a third-quarter contact that triggered the kind of fanfare and headlines that wouldn’t make anyone proud.

The controversy broke out when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese tangled up with 4:38 left in the third quarter. Reese had just grabbed an offensive rebound after Rebecca Allen’s three-point attempt bounced off the back of the rim. In that exact moment, Clark slapped—a move that the Fever star clarified was not “malicious”—her opponent’s arm hard enough to make her lose the ball and fall to the floor. Immediately after, Reese got up to confront Clark, who was nonchalantly walking away. Aliyah Boston stepped in. Reese threw some inaudible jabs at Clark, with the latter’s foul being upgraded to a flagrant foul 1 while Reese and Boston garnered a technical. So far, so good, right? Well…

Despite the two stars explicitly stating that the move was nothing more than a “basketball play”, fans seem to have taken it up a notch. As per multiple reports, every time Reese went to the line to shoot free throws, she was booed by fans, and allegedly directed racist slurs as well. And now, adding a fresh twist to the tale is another X video that seems to capture the exact moment it happened.

Captioned, “Here is another angle as the Chicago sky is running out to the court,” shortly after it was posted, a social media user pointed out, “I’m sorry, did I just hear the N-word passed to Angel?” And that’s all it took for the community to pass their own judgments—good and bad—to the matter. But before we tell you about that…

Notably, this comes amid the WNBA informing it will officially investigate the incident. “The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society. We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter,” the league’s statement read.

“We are aware of the allegations of inappropriate fan conduct during yesterday’s game and we are working closely with the WNBA to complete their investigation,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines in a statement. “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”

Breanna Stewart also reacted to the incident saying, “There comes a line and as athletes and as fans, we have to make sure we continue to respect the space of one another so we can all be our best thing ever.”

That’s what eventually led to the WNBA’s “No Space for Hate” initiative ahead of the 2025 season. But judging by the reactions to the most recent viral post, it’s clear the message still hasn’t landed with everyone.

What happened outside the locker room?

“Stop, he clearly said ‘Milla.’ You’re too grown to be messy,” countered another user, calling out the unnecessary speculation.

Well, this isn’t exactly new. Angel Reese, a.k.a. the Chi-Town Barbie, has faced her share of online hate for quite some time now. In fact, the 23-year-old Maryland native opened up about it in the September 2024 episode of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, revealing that the harassment has escalated far beyond internet trolling. According to Reese, the hate has reached such extreme levels that she has received death threats, been followed to her home, and even targeted with explicit, AI-generated images. The harassment got so severe that she felt the only way to cope was to delete her Instagram account.

Having said that, one user wrote, “I thought that at first too, and I was like OMG. But I think he says ‘Kamilla’”.

“It’s stuff like this that perpetuates the hate and discourse. SMH,” added another spectator. While criticism can come from across the league, Reese emphasized that much of the disrespect she receives seems to come from Caitlin Clark’s fan base. Still, she made her stance on Clark crystal clear. “I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it, and I don’t believe [Clark] stands on any of that,” Reese said. And she’s right. Both Clark and Reese have repeatedly shut down rumors of any personal rivalry, yet fans continue to spin their own narratives.

This was exactly what happened with the viral clip—fans took it and ran with a false assumption. But fortunately, others stepped in to correct the narrative. “Yells for Kamilla as she runs by. She looks at him and extends a hand and smile,” wrote another user while posting a photo of the fan extending his hand toward Kamilla Cardoso.

And then there was one who took the conversation in a different direction, writing, “As soon as they get a whiff of having any kind of fanbase they call them racists😂😂 can’t make this stuff up”. Another comment read, “when they lose wilm they claim racism?”

So yes, while the criticism exists, it’s also reassuring to see many spectators not buying into the drama. And that’s important—especially with the WNBA heading into 2025 with a renewed focus on “combating hate and promoting respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior.”