Another race hoax takes center stage – this time, in the WNBA. This story has had many twists and turns over the past week, so I am going to walk you through how it all unraveled in spectacular fashion.
It all started on May 17 during the WNBA season opener when Caitlin Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, faced off against the Chicago Sky, home to player Angel “Jussie Smollett” Reese. Just kidding. Angel Reese was the competitor.
Clark was called for a flagrant foul against Reese in the third quarter. After Reese grabbed an offensive rebound, Clark slapped her arm hard enough to knock the ball loose and cause Reese to fall to the floor. She quickly jumped back up to follow Clark across the court because she was angry at the foul.
Clark said there was nothing malicious behind the foul, and it’s just a part of the game. Reese appeared to agree. “Basketball play, refs got it right, move on,” she said after the game.
But the Associated Press reported after the game that the WNBA was launching an investigation into alleged racial abuse directed at Reese by Fever fans. The WNBA confirmed the investigation in a statement that read, in part: “The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms – they have no place in our league or in society. We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.”
Change of Tune
That is when Reese seemed to have a change of heart. She posted a TikTok video that included a photo of Clark walking away from her after the foul with the message, “White gyal running from the fade.” She has since taken the post down, but Reese then spoke to reporters about how the alleged racism hurled her way was very hard to deal with during the game.
“Obviously it’s tough, but I think I have a great support system,” she told the press. “I’m loved by so many people. And obviously, in the moment, it is hard to hear, but my support system is great. God has protected me.”
She also praised the league’s response. “Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that,” Reese added. “I think the WNBA and our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me… Going through this whole process, if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
So, now we are at the point where she is claiming the alleged racism was hard to hear. Well, what happened exactly? What was hard to hear? What is the evidence that anything at all happened to you involving racism from the Fever fans?
The evidence for why an investigation was launched by the WNBA was unspecified, and The Daily Mail reported Reese’s coach and team only found out about the allegations when everyone else did and were not aware of any hate speech during the game. Angel Reese did not run off the court saying somebody said something racist to me.
The Allegations
Now the latest news is that the league heard anonymous social media commentators saying there was racism. That is how you began your investigation? Nobody in the arena was complaining. Reese wasn’t complaining. The coaches didn’t hear anything. It was some anonymous social media users who got this started. That’s reliable?
The allegation that emerged on social media was that monkey sounds were being made by the crowd when Reese attempted to make her free throws after the foul. If you listen to the video above, you can hear what it sounded like.
To me, it sounded like one of those noise makers you might use on New Year’s Eve, which is not uncommon during these free throws to distract the opposing team. It certainly doesn’t jump out at me as a monkey sound, and it probably doesn’t jump out at you that way either. It is the people who think that there are racists and racism everywhere in America – those are the ones who go to that place.
The Media Reaction
Without any supporting evidence – nothing more than a statement put out by the WNBA about unspecified racism (and now we know that was based on social media users) – some sports analysts had no problem declaring there is racism at these WNBA games.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up last week, Chiney Ogwumike and Monica McNutt blasted the alleged behavior. You can watch their take below:
“When it comes to the racism and the hateful rhetoric and the statement that the WNBA is saying, I think it’s important because at the end of the day, if you’re truly a basketball fan, you would understand and agree that we have no space in our game for those types of comments,” Ogwumike said.
Fox Sports’ Emmanuel Acho said “at best” those criticizing Reese “are exposing the subconscious racial ignorance that exists within them.” But he believes they are actually “using the latest situation between her and Caitlin Clark as a cover for their innate racism and hate towards her.” Watch:
They are talking about “those types of comments.” What comments were they? They have no idea. Acho was alluding to fans being comfortable spewing racism while wearing masks. What was the racism that was spewed? What evidence are you citing? You purport to be sports journalists and commentators, right? Walk us through it. I am totally open minded. Let’s do it.
Case Closed
It took the WNBA 10 days to announce the results of its investigation. The league released a statement on Tuesday that read:
“We have investigated the report of racist fan behavior in the vicinity of the court during the May 17, 2025 Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever game.
Based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game, we have not substantiated it.
The WNBA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone and will continue to be vigilant in enforcing our fan code of conduct.”
That’s it. They got everybody worked up over absolutely nothing. They have not substantiated any allegations of racism. Perhaps social media is not the most reliable source for massive racism investigations without anybody who was actually there having heard, seen, or witnessed anything. Maybe you should fill in the lines a bit more when you announce that your big race hoax was exactly that. Maybe release the transcripts of the athletes or the fans to whom you spoke. One would assume they spoke to Angel Reese. What did she say?
Don’t WNBA fans have a right to know? What about people of color who go to these games and have to sit there wondering whether there are all these rabid racists all around them? Don’t they deserve to fully understand the scope of your investigation?
Clay Travis put it best on X, saying Reese “is Jussie Smollett with a worse shooting percentage.” And after the WNBA put out the statement, Chiney Ogwumike also took to X to claim she is committed to doing better and her initial take was “in the heat of the moment.” Here’s what she said:
She knows very well there is never any penalty for fake racism claims. None. That is why she can proceed with impunity on such reporting.
The Plot Thickens
But there is a story with racial undertones – one with much clearer evidence – that is being totally ignored outside of conservative media.
Last week, Brittney Griner and the Atlanta Dream faced off against the Fever and Caitlin Clark. As you may remember, Griner was arrested in Russia on drug charges back in 2022. The Biden administration had to do a prisoner swap to get her back and handed over an international arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.”
You would think she would want to steer clear of any controversy and be feeling nothing other than love of country. You would be wrong. In a viral clip, Griner appeared to mouth something rather controversial after fouling out of the game. Here is what it looked like:
Some believe she said “trash f-cking white girls.” Others have suggested it might be “trash f-cking whack call.” We don’t know exactly what she is mouthing, and Griner herself hasn’t commented. Why is that? You are being accused of making a racist statement. Wouldn’t you want to clear that up quickly? But she is not saying anything. She is apparently totally comfortable letting those allegations linger.
OutKick reported that after the clip received millions of views online, not a single reporter asked Griner about it. Maybe Griner is keeping quiet because she knows the story will disappear.
Fake allegations of racism? Nobody holds that against you. Anti-white racism? Nobody holds that against you. It’s fine, no problem. She can behave with impunity and understand that these powerful voices within the sports industry will run cover for her and do the work of attacking alleged anti-black racism where it doesn’t exist instead.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,083 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.