Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy issued a fiery response following news that the WNBA opened an investigation into alleged “racism” during the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game this past weekend.
Sky forward Angel Reese delivered a shot to the back of a Fever player while searching for a rebound in the third quarter. Once Reese collected the ball and had an open drive to the basket, Fever guard Caitlin Clark delivered a hard foul.
The Sky player was livid over the basketball play, which prevented an easy bucket. (Though some might contend if there’s anyone who can be allowed to take a layup in the hopes that they’ll miss, it’s Reese.)
Reese helped with the dramatics by flopping a bit, ala LeBron James. After the play, she clearly had some words for her rival, even motioning as if she wanted to get physical.
Investigation Into Caitlin Clark’s ‘Racist’ Fans
In one of the more absurd overreactions to a hard foul and a clearly displeased home crowd, the WNBA announced that they were launching an investigation into specious claims that Caitlin Clark’s fans made racist comments during the game.
“The WNBPA is aware of reports of hateful comments at yesterday’s game in Indianapolis and supports the WNBA’s current investigation into this matter. Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport,” a league statement reads.
“Under the WNBA’s ‘No Space for Hate’ policy, we trust the league to thoroughly investigate and take swift, appropriate action to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
If your eyes rolled into the back of your head reading that, it’s for good reason.
There is, thus far, zero evidence of such an incident or incidents. Additionally, this seems more like something the facility or team security should handle to ensure such obnoxious fans are not allowed back into the arena.
The way the league presented it was clear – somebody claimed Caitlin Clark’s fans made racist comments, and the league fed into the narrative.
RACISM? The WNBA is investigating Indiana fans cheering after Angel Reese missed her free throw as an act of ‘racism’. Suddenly it is a hate crime for cheering when a flopper gets poetic justice? pic.twitter.com/KwA4qxs3QZ
— @amuse (@amuse) May 19, 2025
RELATED: Angel Reese’s mom took aim at Caitlin Clark and her fans
Dave Portnoy Hammers the WNBA
Portnoy expressed skepticism that the league heard any legitimate reports of racism at the game because he was there. And he chastised the WNBA for constantly feeding into the ‘Caitlin Clark’s fans are racist’ mantra being generated by the media and Reese’s camp.
“Being in that crowd, seeing that crowd, being at the game, zero point zero, zero, zero, zero, zero chance there’s any truth to this. And you add validity when you acknowledge the statement, ‘We don’t condone hate,'” Portnoy seethed at the Fever response themselves.
“There was no hate. The only hate was coming from Angel Reese attacking Caitlin Clark.”
“The WNBA, talk about killing the golden goose. Like, you guys are lucky you have Caitlin Clark. You are lucky you have the Indiana Fever,” added Portnoy. “It makes the league relevant. All you do is s— on ‘em.”
The @WNBA can’t get out of their own way. To issue a statement in response to trolls is a joke. It makes @IndianaFever fans look bad for no reason. It’s like they won’t be happy till they kill the golden goose.
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 18, 2025
(If I’m wrong I’ll apologize and eat my words but I’m 100% right) https://t.co/wYrmk5d8Pe pic.twitter.com/LCib9r41l4
Last season, Reese offered a two-word response to a video from a supporter wildly claiming fans of Caitlin Clark wanted their favorite player to be the “face of racism so bad”.
“Thank you,” she wrote in response to the clip on Instagram.
Reese’s praise of the video says something about the Chicago Sky player’s mindset toward Clark fans. Prior to that, the former LSU star, in her debut podcast episode, “Unapologetically Angel,” accused the Indiana Fever star’s fans of racism, death threats, and stalking.
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it,” Reese said.
Caitlin Clark, by contrast, rarely, if ever, comments on Angel Reese’s fans in a negative light.
It should be noted that the WNBA did not launch an investigation last season when Reese clubbed Clark in the head while driving to the basket.
Additionally, the NBA never launched its own investigations into Larry Bird’s fans during the height of his rivalry with Magic Johnson. And there was far more evidence of that back in the 1980s in Boston.
The Fever trounced the Sky in this game, 93-58, with Clark setting a new record, as she does nearly every night, by scoring a triple-double.
On Saturday vs Chicago Sky, Caitlin Clark became the FIRST player in the history of WNBA to record 20 PTS, 10 AST, 10 REB, 4BLK, 2STL in a game pic.twitter.com/EySHyVO44q
— Caitlin Clark Stats (@CC22stats) May 19, 2025
Clark made it clear in the opener that her game is head-and-shoulders above that of Reese’s at this stage of their careers.
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