Chelsea Gray Receives Racist Abuse After Incident with Caitlin Clark

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray disclosed on Monday that she has been subjected to racist abuse on social media in the aftermath of a play involving Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. The incident occurred during the second quarter of the Fever's 109-75 victory over the Aces on Sunday.

During the game, while Clark was defending Gray, the Aces guard appeared to elbow Clark in the midriff as she attempted a shot. Clark fell to the floor in apparent pain. The play was reviewed for a potential 'hostile act,' which drew protests from Gray and Aces coach Becky Hammon. Ultimately, the referees ruled the play a common foul against Clark. Clark, who had recently dealt with injury issues, remained on the floor briefly and later expressed her disagreement with the foul call.

Gray shared a screenshot of a racist message she received on her Instagram story, writing, "People act like we just make this s*** up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to 'shut up and dribble.'"

This situation follows a similar incident last month when Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas was involved in a play with Clark. During that game, Clark was struck in the throat by Thomas. Thomas subsequently stated that she also faced racial abuse and threats toward her family, including her children, following the incident.

Thomas criticized the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for what she perceived as a lack of response to the abuse directed at players. "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."

Clark, addressing the abuse directed at Thomas in early July, condemned such behavior. "I've said up here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK," Clark stated. "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."