The WNBA said it could not verify claims of racist harassment targeting star player Angel Reese during a season opener between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. One ESPN commentator, Chiney Ogwumike, felt obligated to retract her concerns.
Initial reports claimed that Indiana fans targeted Reese, who is Black, during the first game of the season with racially focused taunts. Reese has a long-standing feud with Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who is White.
Many WNBA media members responded that racism and harassment would not be tolerated within the league. Ogwumike is walking her comments back.
“I’m not afraid to say I can do better,” Ogwumike, a former WNBA player, said in a message on social media. “I am sorry that my message was in the heat of the moment, because when I initially spoke on the topic, it really came from a place of care.”
Ogwumike’s initial remark drew Indiana’s ire since the comments appeared to imply Fever fans were racist.
“Now in the process, however, I totally recognize that it may have impacted fans in a way that I did not intend. I am sorry,” said Ogwumike, who is Black. “I am also happy that the WNBA treated the matter with the utmost seriousness and followed through with the investigation.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who was seated courtside for the game, tore into the WNBA’s investigation and ESPN’s coverage.
“The ‘investigation’ was bulls—-. Both [the Fever] and WNBA gave [credibility] to a very obvious troll,” Portnoy, who is White, wrote on X. “ESPN ran with it. Caitlin Clark had to defend her fans for no reason. You made something outta nothing. Indiana Fever fans deserve better.”
The Fever faces the Washington Mystics in Baltimore on Wednesday night. Clark is expected to miss two weeks of games with a quad injury.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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