Fever GM Defends Fanbase After A'ja Wilson Confrontation — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Amber Cox, Indiana Fever GM, defended the fanbase at an end-of-season news conference Saturday, saying "the attacks on our fanbase have no basis in reality, and they need to stop" — singling out media members who have never attended a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- A'ja Wilson crossed the baseline during Game 2 of the first-round playoff series to admonish a fan who had stood, pointed at her, and exchanged words; Wilson received a technical foul while the fan was escorted out of the arena bowl but allowed to return
- Arena security determined there was no violation of the fan code of conduct in the Wilson incident, and Cox said no fan was removed from any game this season or flagged by a player as violating the WNBA code of conduct
- Brianna Turner, a former Fever player now with the Aces and treasurer of the WNBPA, called Cox's statement "unequivocally false" on social media, writing that players inside and outside the organization have repeatedly issued complaints about the fanbase
- On Aug. 6, two fans were escorted from their Gainbridge Fieldhouse courtside seats during a game against the Aces after Jackie Young complained to an official about being "chirped at" all game; the fans were not ejected and no code of conduct violation was found
- Kelsey Mitchell, who set WNBA single-season scoring and 3-point records this season and is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, said playing in Indiana can be difficult due to fan interactions and that she receives significant hate in her direct messages
- Cox said 17,000 fans per night fill Gainbridge Fieldhouse and described broad-brush characterizations of the fanbase as "not fair"
Why it matters: The dispute puts the Fever organization on a collision course with current and former WNBA players — including WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner — over how hostile the home environment actually is, while Mitchell's status as an unrestricted free agent makes the controversy a tangible factor in whether she stays in Indiana.
Ask SkimNews
