Alyssa Thomas, WNBA condemn racist comments, threats against DiJonai Carrington during Fever series

After the Connecticut Sun took a 1-0 lead over the Indiana Fever in the WNBA playoffs, DiJonai Carrington posted threats after a foul on Caitlin Clark didn’t get called. Both players said it wasn’t intentional, and after Sun won the series Wednesday night, both the league and Alyssa Thomas condemned the racist comments toward Carrington.

Carrington – the WNBA’s Most Improved Player this year – posted a screenshot of one of the threats against her after Connecticut’s Game 1 victory, which also saw her poke Clark in the eye. That play generated some questions about whether it was intentional after slowing it down. However, both Carrington and Clark were emphatic that wasn’t the case since the WNBA is a physical league. It was part of the game.

Thomas said the reaction was unlike anything she’s seen since entering the WNBA in 2014. While she noted the growth of the league this season as ratings and ticket sales spiked, she added racism doesn’t have a place among the fan base.

“It’s been a lot of nonsense,” Thomas said. “I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments [like] from the Indiana Fever fan base. We had [DiJonai Carrington’s] face on a serious matter that happened in this world, and it’s unacceptable, honestly. There’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media. And there’s no place for it.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are gonna degrade us and call us racial things. We already see what’s happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect. We come to play basketball for our job and it’s fun, but we don’t want to go to work every day and have social media blowing up over things like that. It’s uncalled for, and something needs to be done – whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking. There’s no time for it anymore.”

After Thomas’ passionate plea, the WNBA released a statement. The league echoed a similar sentiment and said it is monitoring any threats made.

“The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world,” the statement read. “While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures to include involving law enforcement, as necessary.”

Connecticut held on to defeat Indiana Wednesday night, ending the Fever’s season with an 87-81 victory to complete the 2-0 sweep. That means Clark’s rookie year is over after a record-setting campaign, which saw her become the first WNBA rookie to record not one, but two triple-doubles.