The 2026 WNBA Draft wasn’t supposed to go like this when Raven Johnson was picked.

The Indiana Fever held the No. 10 pick in the draft that took place at The Shed in New York City, and they chose the South Carolina Gamecocks star, Johnson. And why wouldn’t they? She is young, fast, and one of the biggest names in women’s college basketball. However, it looks like the Fever fans aren’t too happy about it.

A viral screen recording has been making the rounds across social media, and in the clip, a Fever fan went on an emotional rant, questioning everything from the team’s direction to its front office decisions.

“I was happy they cleaned house in 2024. You got Caitlin Clark. You’re gonna start over. You got Aliyah Boston, you’re gonna start the F**k over. You have the best young core in the f**king league. Great, clear the deck, hire a forward-thinking basketball mind. That’s what I thought was gonna happen. And they hired for a GM, somebody who has never been in charge. Somebody who has never been in charge of player personnel in their entire career.”

“They hired a businesswoman. They are trusting the prime of Caitlin Clark to a businesswoman. Then last year they get a high school f**king reunion. They’re posting pictures from 2011. I just signed my friend from 2011,” the fans said.

Back in 2024, the Fever reshaped their front office and brought in Amber Cox as their GM while building the franchise around Clark and Boston. But while Cox has had an incredibly successful background as a sports executive, her career has leaned heavily on the COO/Marketing/Business side. So, fans have always pointed to her lack of experience as a coach.

On top of that, if you look at their roster, the Indiana Fever already have their backcourt pieces in place. So, according to the fans, what they needed was a forward on their rosters, not another guard.

But since Raven Johnson was Boston’s teammate during their college time, the Fever went ahead with her, and in the eyes of critics, that move was to get the former teammates back rather than what they needed.

However, that’s where the WNBA community stepped in.

WNBA Community Fires Back at Fever Fans Over Raven Johnson Backlash

As the viral clip criticizing the Indiana Fever’s decision to draft the Gamecocks guard continued to spread, the reaction outside that echo chamber told a very different story.

One fan wrote, “They don’t watch ball Raven gonna make CC life so much easier 🙄🙄🙄🙄 they gonna be so hurt when CC and Raven relationship build to what I definitely know it will be … good chemistry.” While another wrote, “She said a ton of nothing. Raven Johnson will be a good player for this team. Not why we’re overthinking this.”

As a 5-foot-9 guard out of Atlanta, Johnson has entered the WNBA with one of the most decorated college résumés in the class of 2026.

Over five seasons at South Carolina, she won two national championships and even reached the finals this season.

Johnson finished her senior year at USC by averaging 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 48.6% from the field and nearly 40% from deep. On top of that, she earned AP All-American Third Team honors and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

See, if we started to list every achievement of her throughout her college career, we’d be here all day. But her prowess has been one of the biggest points of attraction for the Fever.

“She’s won at every level, she’s set the tone at every level,” head coach Stephanie White said. “She’s immediately ready on the defensive end of the floor, which is something that we need.”

And that’s exactly what fans who are defending Raven Johnson are pointing to.

“God I feel so sad for Raven😭.” one fan added. While another called out the fans and wrote, “😂😂😂 That’s hilarious. I’m sorry but CC fans are bad for the game. They lower the overall average IQ level of WNBA fans and they literally want the league to be about one player. Go fund a league for that one player to play by herself.”

Aliyah Boston and Johnson having a history of playing together should be looked at as an upside. Just think, an already star-studded team gets a rookie who understands he rhythm of one of the strongest guards on the team.

That kind of duo, playing beside Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and many more, will only make them one of the strongest teams in the league. So one fan tried to reason with the Fever fans and wrote, “Fans always think they know best, and most have never even played organized sports. Why get so worked up over something you have absolutely no control over?”

Some fans can hate the decision. Some can be all for it. But at the end of the day, how she will fit in with this team can only be found out on the court.