Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray revealed that she has suffered racist abuse in the wake of her clash with Caitlin Clark.
More WNBA controversy erupted at the weekend when the Aces faced Clark and the Indiana Fever in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
During the second quarter of the Fever’s 109-75 victory, Clark was attempting to defend Gray when the Aces guard appeared to use her left elbow to strike the Indiana superstar’s midriff.
Attempting to get her shot away, Gray pushed off Clark and took a shot at the basket but as she did so, the former No. 1 pick dramatically fell to the floor in agony.
The moment sparked racist abuse towards Gray, who shared one of the vile messages she received on social media on Monday.
Gray shared a screenshot of the message, which called her a racial slur, to her Instagram story.
Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray revealed on Monday that she has suffered racist abuse
The vile message came after Gray appeared to elbow Caitlin Clark in the midriff on Sunday
‘People act like we just make this s*** up,’ Gray wrote in her caption. ‘And the audacity to tell us as athletes to “shut up and dribble.”‘
The incident during Sunday’s game led referees to review the play for a potential ‘hostile act’. That decision infuriated Gray and coach Becky Hammon, who protested the decision to review.
Clark remained on the floor as the review process played out and, when she eventually returned to her feet, she was left holding her back having recently dealt with injury issues.
The referees eventually ruled the play a common foul for Clark, which sparked a furious reaction from the Fever star.
‘It’s not a foul,’ she said as coach Stephanie White led her back to the bench.
Gray’s post came after Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas faced similar abuse in the wake of her own run-in with Clark last month.
Clark was punched in the throat by Thomas during a game between the Mercury and the Fever after she fell to the paint under pressure from three Phoenix defenders.
The WNBA’s lack of reaction to Thomas’ punch on Clark has sparked a firestorm directed at the player, officials and the league for what some believe is a routine failure to protect the Indiana Fever star.
The Aces guard shared one of the vile messages she received on social media
In the days that followed, Thomas said she was racially abused online and received threats toward herself and her family – including her children.
‘Our families are being threatened,’ Thomas, who is Black, told reporters earlier this month. ‘Kids are being threatened. People are sending racial slurs and all types of stuff.
‘There’s a difference between trolling and there’s a difference between hatred,’ she continued. ‘The hatred that we’re experiencing over a play that was, honestly, a complete accident, no one even knew what happened, it’s just unfortunate.’
She also directed frustration at the WNBA and its commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, whom she criticized for being silent on the issue.
‘The league has to do better in this instance,’ Thomas said. ‘Honestly, I didn’t even know I was being suspended until 10 minutes before it was being put on social media. We still have yet to hear anything from Cathy.
‘It’s no surprise. You can see what’s being said on social media. It’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.
‘Just the whole narrative that’s being painted out there,’ she continued. ‘It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball.
Fever star Caitlin Clark was punched in the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas
‘A lot of us, myself included, didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. And now we’re being painted as thugs. And [there are] death threats out on us, so it’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m just really sick and tired of it.’
Clark, finally breaking her silence on the incident with Thomas on July 4, condemned the abuse towards her rival.
‘I’ve said up here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK,’ Clark said at a practice.
‘That goes for the opposing team we play, that goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches. There should never be question of character. None of that is OK, and I don’t want anybody to ever experience that.’
