Basketball rivalries are one thing, but when fandom takes a hard detour into murky waters of prejudice, well, you get the latest offseason drama brewing in the WNBA. New York Liberty’s own Jonquel Jones recently chimed in on a growing discussion about a bizarre subset of Caitlin Clark fans who, let’s just say, might be cheering a bit too loudly—for all the wrong reasons.
Caitlin Clark, the sharpshooter who blazed through college hoops at Iowa and found a new home in the Indiana Fever lineup, brought her legions of enthusiastic followers to the big leagues this year. But, as often happens in sports, some fans took their devotion and ran it straight into the messier side of things. Enter Angel Reese, one of Clark’s chief rivals, who wasn’t shy in pointing out some unsavory experiences with Clark’s supposed “fan club.” The LSU alum and now pro player says she faced downright nasty comments from a portion of Clark’s fanbase, who seemed more interested in throwing shade than watching basketball. Clark, for her part, wasn’t having any of it and condemned the actions outright.
Jones, not one to mince words, got real on “The Pivot” podcast this week, saying, “I think some fans have latched onto Caitlin Clark not because of her skills, but because they want her to be their racial mascot.” It’s the kind of sentiment that might make you double-take and wonder, “Are we still talking about sports here?”
And Jones wasn’t done. She doubled down, making it clear she wasn’t talking about Fever fans in general, just the subset that chose Clark as some kind of unwitting spokesperson for their twisted agenda. “These fans wanted to assume she’d be a certain type of person and ran with it. And then, plot twist! Clark turned out not to be the hate-mongering messiah they were hoping for,” Jones quipped.
The drama didn’t stop there. Apparently, 2024 wasn’t just a big year for rookie stats but also for hate mail. Connecticut Sun’s DiJonai Carrington shared an unpleasantly memorable email in September, where she received a colorful assortment of slurs and threats that sounded more like something out of a mob movie than a basketball fan’s pen. Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart’s family wasn’t safe either. During the WNBA Finals, her wife received similarly charming emails, this time involving death threats. If you’re wondering if there’s a league-wide theme here, you’re right. It’s unfortunately a real part of the conversation these days.
Jones also revealed she’s been lucky to sidestep these kinds of “fan interactions.” With a smirk, she admitted, “Nope, never had to deal with it. But it’s crazy that other players have to.” She took the opportunity to urge the WNBA to address the issue so players can focus on, you know, actually playing basketball.
With Clark’s vocal stance against the racially charged antics of her more wayward fans, there’s hope that the discourse in the upcoming 2025 season might stick closer to the court. Fingers crossed the drama stays in the game—and out of the inbox.
