Fever's Clark denounces online hate directed at 'good soul' Mitchell — SkimNews
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- Caitlin Clark held her final media session of the season Thursday and said she has spoken with Kelsey Mitchell since Mitchell publicly described the online hate she's received and the difficulty of playing with the Fever, calling Mitchell a "good soul."
- Clark explicitly repudiated abuse done in her name, saying: "As far as people that have used me to demonstrate racist rhetoric or hate or discrimination, that's not something I stand for," and linked the issue to Coco Gauff's recent comments about her own experience with online abuse.
- Kelsey Mitchell, who set the WNBA single-season scoring record this season and is an unrestricted free agent, indicated that basketball-related factors won't be the only influence on her decision; Clark said "I know this organization is, we're going to work our butt off to get her back" and called Mitchell "nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than her."
- Fever general manager Amber Cox said last week that "the attacks on our fanbases have no basis in reality, and they need to stop" — a claim former Fever player Brianna Turner, treasurer of the WNBPA, publicly called "unequivocally false" on social media.
- Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she received death threats and racial slurs after receiving a one-game suspension for making contact with Clark's throat with her hand; A'ja Wilson got into an altercation with a fan during Game 2 of the postseason opening round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Jackie Young took issue with courtside fans in August — none were found to have violated the league's fan code of conduct.
- Clark said she no longer checks her direct messages on social media to avoid "the bitter talk" and tries to "block out the noise" while applauding the "real fans" who show up and support the league.
Why it matters: Mitchell, who set the WNBA single-season scoring record and has played all nine of her seasons with Indiana, is now an unrestricted free agent and has signaled that her decision will factor in off-court treatment — meaning the Fever's ability to retain her may hinge as much on curbing abuse as on basketball fit. The dispute also publicly split the Fever front office from the players' union, with GM Amber Cox denying fan attacks and WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner calling that statement false, exposing organizational tension at a moment of peak league visibility.
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