Sam Hodde/Getty Images
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart said it was “disappointing to hear” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s comments on star rookie’s Angel Reese report that she has received racist abuse from fans amid her Rookie of the Year competition with Caitlin Clark.
“To be honest, I saw the interview today, and since then have been in talks with [executive director Terri Jackson] at the WNBPA. I think that it’s disappointing to hear,” Stewart told reporters Tuesday after the Liberty’s win over the Dallas Wings, per Christian Arnold of the New York Post.
“Because the way that the fans have surged, especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing, like, a race aspect, to a different level. There’s no place for that in our sport. I think that’s really what it is. We want our sport to be inclusive for race, for gender, and really be a place where people can be themselves.
“We wish Cathy would have used her platform in a different way and have made that a little bit better. Just telling the fans enough is enough. Become a fan of our sport, and for the new ones, lock in on everybody. But don’t be disrespectful, because as a league, we stick together, and there’s no place for that.”
Greydy@GreydyDiaz
Following the Liberty’s win tonight against Dallas, @MAVoepel asked @breannastewart about her thoughts on the dialogue around the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry and what tone she would like to see from the league.
Following the Liberty’s win tonight against Dallas, @MAVoepel asked @breannastewart about her thoughts on the dialogue around the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry and what tone she would like to see from the league.
Stewie’s response: pic.twitter.com/TAGJYacODo
— Greydy (@GreydyDiaz) September 11, 2024
Las Vegas Aces stars Alysha Clark and Kelsey Plum also criticized Engelbert’s statement on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Clark said the comments were “not okay,” while Plum said they were “hard to hear.”
“It’s pretty clear, there’s a difference between rivalries and racism. Big difference,” Plum said, per Philippou.
Stewart, Clark and Plum were responding to Engelbert’s Tuesday appearance on CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” during which she addressed Reese’s report of receiving abuse from fans.
“There’s no more apathy. Everybody cares,” Engelbert said about Reese and Clark (3:00 mark below.) “It is a little of that Bird-Magic moment, if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one Black. And so we have that moment with these two. But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another.
“Social media is different today than it was in 1979, when it didn’t exist, but I always tell the players, I was told a long time ago: If someone’s typing something in, and you wouldn’t ask their advice. Ignore it.”
Later that day Jackson issued a statement criticizing Engelbert’s comment on behalf of the WNBPA.
“This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model,” Jackson wrote. “This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago.”
A Statement from the Executive Director pic.twitter.com/CDRAgnwa5y
— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) September 11, 2024
Engelbert responded Tuesday night on X by stating that “there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.”
Cathy Engelbert@CathyEngelbert
During a recent media interview, I was asked about the dark side of social media and online conversation about WNBA rivalries and race. To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.
Engelbert and the WNBPA’s comments center around a recent appearance by Reese on her podcast Unapologetically Angel, during which the Chicago Sky rookie said that although there has “never been beef” between her and Clark, she has received racist abuse from the Indiana Fever star’s fans.
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, they ride for her. And I respect that, respectfully, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. There’s a lot of racism, when it comes to it, and I don’t believe she stands on any of that,” Reese said (10:30 mark.)
Reese continued: “… When it comes to death threats … I’m talking about, people coming down to my address. It’s come down to that.”
Since being selected with the No. 1 and No. 7 picks of the 2024 draft, Clark and Reese have posted record-breaking campaigns, with Reese setting a league standard for consecutive double-doubles as Clark has broken the rookie record for assists. Their rookie seasons have also been tied to a spike in WNBA viewership.
