Being criticized for a poor performance is a natural part of professional sports. Receiving racist abuse and messages wishing your team’s plane would crash, however, is something entirely different. According to Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud, that’s the reality many WNBA players now face after games, and the WNBA and NBA commissioners are not doing enough.
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Front Office Sports reporter Colin Salao spoke with the WNBA veteran on Wednesday, as he later shared on his X page. The two discussed the hate WNBA players receive, particularly from sports bettors. For Cloud, while sports betting has become an essential part of professional sport, there is still a need for actionable initiatives from league leadership. She specifically named WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“I think as one of the main faces of our league, too, it creates a dialogue that needs to be had. It puts pressure on Cathy, who we’ve been begging to step up for us in these spaces.”
“Now I think it demands her to actually take some initiative and to do something about it… For both Adam and Cathy, there still has to be dialogue around this as our leagues continue to expand and as we continue to navigate what this betting world is. ’Cause we want to be in it; it’s great for our league. But also within it, we have to be protected as human beings when we take these jerseys off,” Cloud continued in the Front Office Sports interview on Wednesday.
One of the most recent episodes of this targeted hate came on Sunday involving Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray. Gray shared a screenshot of the racist message she received on her Instagram Story. The employee has since reportedly been let go, and the WNBA issued a statement against such hate mongering.
“We unequivocally condemn racism and all forms of hate. There is no place for this behavior in sports or anywhere, and we remain committed to protecting the players and fostering an environment built on respect and inclusion.”
Just a day before Gray posted about this, Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams faced a disgruntled fan. He sent Williams an abusive voice note on Instagram because her one assist during the Lynx’s game against the New York Liberty on July 11 cost him a player prop bet.
Cloud does not believe statements are enough; such behavior calls for stronger action. She herself, in the interview with Salao, also pointed to the kind of vile abuse she received.
“I’m called a b****, I’m called a n*****, I’m called everything under the sun. I’ve been told that they hope that our plane crashes on the way home.”
Natasha Cloud recognizes that both leagues, the WNBA and NBA, benefit financially from betting. However, she believes those benefits can never justify the abuse directed toward players. Protecting the athletes themselves must remain the top priority.
In light of the growing racist attacks, threats, and online abuse against WNBA players, league leadership and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have recently set up an intervention.
WNBPA Schedules Meeting With Cathy Engelbert as Player Safety Concerns Intensify
It appears that the WNBPA and league leadership are taking a step toward actionable solutions. According to Natasha Cloud’s teammate and WNBPA secretary Elizabeth Williams, player leadership has scheduled a meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert ahead of WNBA All-Star Weekend on July 26. She spoke about this in an interview with Front Office Sports.
“Hopefully from that, we get more tangible steps in making sure that we’re not always on the back end of these things. And we continue to do things ahead of time.”
Front Office Sports reported that one of the top priorities for the scheduled meeting will be player security. More importantly, the meeting is not simply a reaction to the latest controversies. They requested it before Chelsea Gray’s recent experience. And it was even before Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas publicly criticized Engelbert following the threats she received after an on-court incident involving Caitlin Clark.
Williams and the league hope that the upcoming meeting will produce measures that go beyond public statements, making the W a safer place for its players.