Following their significant playoff victory, Connecticut Sun basketball player Alyssa Thomas denounces prejudiced remarks aimed at her teammates.
It's been an unusual 11-year span in my career, I've got to say, as I've never encountered racial remarks from the Indiana Fever's fanbase, shared Thomas after the team's triumph in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The first game of the playoff series on September 22 saw Thomas' teammate DiJonai Carrington bumping into rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and making contact with Clark's eye.
Both Clark and Carrington refused to believe there was any malicious intent behind the incident. Carrington explained to the media before Game 2 that she didn't intend to hurt anyone with her eyes and had no idea she had collided with Clark.
Carrington's partner, Indiana Fever player NaLyssa Smith, shared some of the hostility Carrington had experienced.
"My girlfriend has been getting death threats, stalked, subjected to all sorts of insults," Smith shared on X, earlier known as Twitter.
"I've never been called the things I've been called on social media, and it's got no place in here," Thomas mentioned postgame.
Thomas believed it was now up to the officiating team to stop such incidents from occurring in the future.
"We play basketball for a living and find joy in it, but we don't wish for our social media to turn into a battlefield every day over such matters."
The Sun's head coach, Stephanie White, echoed Thomas's call for action.
"We've seen rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia throughout our nation's history. Sport is not an exception, and it's simply unacceptable," White pointed out.
Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides also commented on the players' experiences.
"There's an overwhelming amount of hurtful, hateful rhetoric circulating the online world, and it's completely unacceptable," Sides shared postgame.
"When it gets personal, in my opinion, there's no justification for it. These people live and breathe through social media, constantly reading and seeing these things. It's simply unacceptable when it escalates to a personal level."
The WNBA issued a statement following Thomas' remarks.
"The WNBA is home to some of the world's best athletes. While we're thrilled to have a growing fanbase, we have zero tolerance for racist, derogatory, or threatening comments directed at players, teams, or anyone associated with the league.
"Our security team is actively monitoring risky behavior, working closely with teams and venues, and can involve the police as necessary when there is a potential threat."
Thomas and the Sun will square off against the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis for Game 1 of the WNBA playoff semifinals on Sunday.
The sport of basketball has brought both joy and challenges for the players, as noted by Thomas after a victory. With the rise in social media, incidents of racism and hateful comments towards players have become prevalent, as Smith and others have experienced.
