A’ja Wilson’s recent heated interaction with an Indiana Fever fan has brought a wave of criticism against the Fever’s fanbase, and general manager Amber Cox recently came to their defense. But veteran WNBA journalists Cari Champion and Jemele Hill are not buying it. On a recent episode of their podcast Flagrant and Funny, they discussed how Fever fans are being perceived as overtly negative, and the reason goes beyond this era of the W.
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“That fan base is toxic, toxic in a way that feels… even more polarizing. Any fan base should be hostile. Like, I remember I told you I was at the Liberty game and nobody was booing, and this dude stood up and said, ‘Boo this lady!’…You should have that level of intensity and competition,” said Champion on the podcast.
“I definitely don’t want to paint all Indiana fans that way. When Tamika Catchings, when she played for the Fever, kind of during their golden era, nobody said that about this fan base…I feel like this is the meanest and nastiest era,” she added.
The discussion around Fever fans crossing the line first began during Game 2 of the Las Vegas Aces-Indiana Fever. The Fever were hosting the Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With around four minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Aces superstar A’ja Wilson was involved in a physical play with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. While Cunningham fell to the floor and was assessed a foul, Wilson was seen rushing into the stands to confront a fan who was reportedly pointing and shouting at her.
The fan left his seat for a bit before returning, reportedly high-fiving other fans sitting around him. Wilson was assessed a technical foul for her “unsportsmanlike conduct”, and the league decided not to pursue further action. The Fever later released a statement, saying the Fan Code of Conduct was not broken and the matter was considered closed. But the matter was not closed for the public, as Fever fans were being called out across social media.
During her exit interview for this season, GM Amber Cox refused the charges levied against the Fever fanbase.
“The attacks on our fanbase have no basis in reality, and they need to stop, especially with members of the media,” Cox said. “I’m talking about media who have never been to a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Every organization in the league… [has] to deal with occasional bad behavior from spectators. And anyone who crosses the line in an arena or online needs to be held accountable. I want to be really clear about that: There is a line, and people need to be held accountable if they cross it.”
Even Cunningham, who was involved in the incident, came to the defense of the Fever fans on a recent episode of her podcast, No Hesitation.
“Us women in sport…We yell from the rooftops that we want equality, that we want to be treated like the men, that we want all this stuff…But if you’re asking for all these fans to come, and you have new fans who are real sports fans, and they come and do something that a sports fan would probably do if you’re on the opposing team, and then we’re gonna go for them for just pointing and saying, ‘You fouled!’? Like, grow up! What are we doing?”
Cunningham’s comments come after the WNBA has received a massive boost in viewership and ticket sales since the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in 2024. This period of unprecedented growth has brought fans who can sometimes be overly passionate about their team. But this is not the first instance where Aces players have faced unruly fans at the Fieldhouse.
The Aces visited the Fever on August 6, 2026, for a game that ended in an overtime 86-84 loss for Indiana. Late in the third quarter, Aces guard Jackie Young had to point two fans to the referees for their disorderly behavior. The fans eventually left the arena.
“He was just chirping all game,” Young said post-game. “I let him have it, and then he just made one that was a little bit too far.”
Even prior to this, in 2025, the WNBA had to launch a formal investigation into questionable behavior towards Angel Reese when the Chicago Sky visited Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17, 2025.
Fever fans are nothing if not passionate, and Champion and Hill are hoping that while emotions are allowed to run high, they should not be allowed to sour the experience inside and outside the arena. Fever fans will hopefully not be an issue anymore this season, as the Indiana Fever were knocked out of playoff contention by the Aces in the very first round. The Aces now face the Golden State Valkyries in a series where the Valkyries have clinched the first game. The two teams will meet again on October 7 for Game 2.