Hilton Grand Vacations has fired an employee who is accused of sending a racist message containing a slur to Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray on Instagram. Gray shared a screenshot of the direct message on social media following the Aces' loss to the Indiana Fever.
Social media users identified the sender as an employee of Hilton Grand Vacations, an independent timeshare company that was spun off from Hilton Worldwide in 2017. After initially stating it was investigating the matter, the company confirmed the employee's termination.
"The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company. His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way," Hilton Grand Vacations said in a statement.
The WNBA is aware of the message sent to the four-time champion and has been in contact with team security, according to Front Office Sports. Gray expressed frustration over the incident, posting, "People act like we make this s–t up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’"
Front Office Sports reported that the remarks may be linked to gambling, as the Instagram user's profile reportedly included the words "sports betting." This incident marks the latest in a series of threats and hate speech directed at WNBA players. Earlier, Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas reported receiving death threats after a controversial play during a game against Caitlin Clark.