Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.

Brittney Griner is the latest WNBA figure to speak out on the unacceptable racist and abusive language players have apparently received from fans this season. After the Phoenix Mercury star’s recent comments on the same, Fox journalist Will Cain hit back at Griner, stating there is “no evidence” to back up her claims.

The arrival of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and a talented new crop of players has led to a sharp rise in attendance figures and viewership numbers. Many of those fans have been accused of creating trouble in the crowd or on social media. While Griner is excited about the growth in the league, she will not accept any racial slurs.

“I don’t appreciate the new fans that sit there and yell racial slurs at myself, my teammates, and the people that I play against because, yeah, those my best opponents but those are friends too,” said Griner in Friday’s press conference.

Will Cain was quick to counter Brittney Griner’s comments regarding fan behavior. He says that while there are plenty of trolls online, there is no proof of racism from fans, especially the “new fans” of the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark.

“So now we’ve gone from online trolls (which I’m sure exist) to racist “new fans” of Caitlin Clark and the Fever openly yelling racial slurs at games. No video. No expulsion from games. No evidence. No way,” Cain said.

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After the Fever’s season-ending playoff defeat to the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, Sun’s forward Alyssa Thomas opened up about the rise in racial comments and called out Indiana Fever fans.

“I think that in my 11-year career I never experienced the racial comments like from the Indiana Fever fan base,” said Thomas

During a press conference on Friday, Caitlin Clark condemned any form of hate speech.

“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments, and threats. Those aren’t fans, those are trolls, and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization and the WNBA,” said Clark

Brittney Griner warned Caitlin Clark this summer about the difficulties of jumping from college to the pros

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark against Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner during a WNBA game at Footprint Center. Photo Credit: Imagn

The hype surrounding Caitlin Clark’s arrival to the league was unlike anything ever seen in the WNBA. Expectations were sky-high for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and many veteran players and analysts questioned whether the 22-year-old would be able to deliver.

Prior to Clark’s first WNBA game, Brittney Griner, one of the league’s most decorated players, warned the rookie about the high level of play in the pros.

“You’re going up against grown women. This is how they feed their families. This is not just for the love of the [game]. This is their livelihood,” said Griner to People.

After a turbulent start to the year where the Fever won just one of their first nine games, Clark found her rhythm. She led the WNBA in assists (337), three-pointers (122) and ranked fifth in points (769) this year.

Clark was rewarded for her outstanding season by being named the WNBA Rookie of the Year.