Sun star Alyssa Thomas slams Fever fans for alleged racism after knocking Indiana out of WNBA playoffs

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Connecticut Sun Star Alyssa Thomas slammed Indiana Fever fans after knocking the team out of the WNBA playoffs with a hard-fought Game 2 victory on Wednesday night, saying she had “never” experienced this level of racism from fans in her 11-year career in the league.

Thomas, 32, didn't hold back in expressing her frustration with the “noise” surrounding this series between the Sun and the Fever, who were making their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade, largely due to rookie players. ^ “Caitlin Clark – The Wonderful World of Madness”.

Indiana Fever defenseman Caitlin Clark (No. 22) has the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)

“Honestly, that was a lot of nonsense. I don't think I've ever experienced such racist comments from Indiana Fever fans in my 11-year career,” Thomas said. “It's honestly unacceptable. There's no place for that.”

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Thomas' comments follow an abusive email received by teammate Dijonai Carrington. Carrington shared a screenshot of the email on her social media before Wednesday night's game. The email contained racist slurs and threats against Carrington.

“We've conducted ourselves professionally the whole time, but I've never been abused like I was on social media, and there's no place for that,” Thomas continued. “Basketball is going in a great direction, but no, we don't want fans demeaning us and calling us racist names.”

“We already see what is happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that regard. We play basketball, that is our job and it is fun, but we don't want to go to work every day and have social media in an uproar about things like this. That is inappropriate and something has to be done, be it (the fever) “It is no longer possible to control their fans or this league. There is no time for that anymore.”

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (No. 25) celebrates a basket while being fouled during the second half of Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA basketball playoff series against the Indiana Fever, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

CAITLIN CLARK'S RECORD-BREAKING NIGHT NOT ENOUGH AS SUN FEVER GET OUT OF WNBA PLAYOFFS

Head coach Stephanie White agreed, but directed her message to the media.

“Sports is a microcosm of life in a society. And I think right now – not right now, but we've experienced a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia throughout our country. Sports is no exception. And to be honest, that's unacceptable,” White said.

“We in the media need to try harder not to allow trolls on social media to become the story. And I feel like we've allowed trolls on social media to frame the story, and that's unacceptable. That's unacceptable, and we need to try harder.”

DiJonai Carrington, No. 21, of the Connecticut Sun dribbles the ball during play against the Indiana Fever in the first round of game two of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs on September 25, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The WNBA issued a statement Wednesday evening saying the league is “actively monitoring threat-related activity” and will involve law enforcement “if necessary.”

“The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the best athletes in the world. While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA does not tolerate racist, derogatory or threatening comments about players, teams and individuals associated with the league. League security actively monitors threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and stadiums to take appropriate action, including involving law enforcement when necessary.”

The Sun will play their semifinal series against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.

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