Basketball: The subject of racism was discussed extensively during Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. Even though Clark denounced the harsh statements made by some fans in support of her, the conversation has persisted into the summer.

The subject of racism was discussed extensively during Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. Following her Iowa career in the WNBA, the Indiana Fever star attracted a large following, but some fans went too far. Angel Reese, for instance, claimed that she had been the target of racist comments from fans who attempted to downplay her because they supported Clark.

Even though Caitlin Clark denounced the harsh statements made by some fans in support of her, the conversation has persisted into the summer. Jonquel Jones, a star for the New York Liberty, offered his thoughts on the matter during this week’s episode of “The Pivot” podcast.

According to her, racist supporters supported Clark in making derogatory remarks about other players until Clark exposed the racism. “I think a lot of the Caitlin Clark fans, I think they wanted to latch onto Caitlin Clark and use her as this fuel to be able to be the way that they wanted to be… They want her to be the representation of their racism.”

Jones cautioned that such behavior should not be applied to all Fever supporters. Other notable WNBA players encountered prejudice during the season, in addition to Angel Reese, who has been candid about it. In September, Connecticut Sun star DiJonai Carrington shared a terrible email she had received on Instagram. The anonymous user used a racist slur against her. Apart from being referred to as a racist slur, Carrington was also threatened, by the person wishing her death.

WNBA players encountered racism and abuse during season

Regrettably, Carrington and Reese weren’t the only WNBA players who encountered racism and abusive remarks this season. During the WNBA Finals, Breanna Stewart’s wife also got an email. The unidentified sender wanted her and Stewart dead in it. According to Jonquel Jones on “The Pivot” Podcast, she hasn’t encountered racism, even though some players have recently dealt with it:

“Never. … But, yeah, no player should have to deal with that. No player should be in any type of situation where they feel like, their life is in danger or that someone wants to harm them because of the color of their skin or harm them in general. So it’s crazy that they had to deal with that.”