đ Fan KICKED OUT, Gray nearly in TEARS | Indiana Fever WNBA playoffs basketballÂ
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Caitlin Clark has fan removed from WNBA playoff game after tense courtside altercation
Caitlin Clark had an intense interaction with a fan in the middle of a WNBA playoff game.
Clark and the Indiana Fever played against the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday, September 25, when ESPNâs broadcast showed Clark going up to the referees and pointing out a fan that was sitting courtside towards the end of the first quarter.
Shortly after, security guards were seen walking up to the fan and escorting him towards the back of the stadium.
After the first quarter ended, a reporter asked Clark how she stays calm but also addresses potential issues during a game. âIâm calling you âSpicy Caitlinâ tonight,â ESPN reporter Holly Rowe said about the point guard. âI see you get into it with a fan, with the ref. How do you maintain your composure but still keep your edge?â
âStay focused about whatâs on the floor,â Clark replied. âMy four other teammates that are right here with me. I think thatâs the most important.â
Clark and the Indiana Fever competed against the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the WNBA playoffs (Getty Images)
A reporter later posted on X (formerly Twitter) that âthe fan is back in his seat now after a discussion with arena security.â
The Fever lost the game with a final score of 81 to 87, thus marking an end to Clarkâs rookie season in the WNBA.
The WNBA posted a statement on Instagram regarding fan behavior at games. âWhile 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,â the statement read.
âLeague 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.â
The fan interaction wasnât the only chippy moment of the game. During a post-game press conference, the Sun player Alyssa Thomas and the teamâs coach Stephanie White spoke about Fever fans making racist and homophobic comments about other players on social media throughout the entire womenâs basketball season.
âItâs been a lot of nonsense,â Thomas told reporters. âI think that in my 11-year career, I never experienced the racial comments like from the Indiana Fever fanbase.â
âItâs unacceptable and honestly thereâs no place for it. Weâve been professional throughout the whole, entire thing, but Iâve never been called the things that Iâve been called on social media, and thereâs no place for it.â
She continued: âBasketball is headed in a great direction, but we donât want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things. â
Fever head coach Christie Sides echoed that her players have also received âa lot of hurtful, hatefulâ messages. âItâs unacceptable for any of these guys,â Sides said.
Although Clark and her team lost during the first round of the playoffs, she revealed that she currently doesnât have any off-season plans.
âI was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun, I hadnât thought too far down the line,â Clark said. âI donât know what Iâm going to do tomorrow, I donât know what Iâm going to do the next day. Maybe play some golf. I think thatâs what Iâm gonna do until it becomes too cold in Indiana. Iâll become a professional golfer.â