Fan who allegedly called WNBA star Chelsea Gray the N-word over Caitlin Clark foul fired from job

The incident occurred less than two weeks after another WNBA player, Alyssa Thomas, received death threats after a foul on Clark on June 24.

A fan who shared racist messages to WNBA star Chelsea Gray on Sunday after her game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever has been fired from his job.

In a statement, Hilton Grand Vacations said the individual, who has not been publicly identified, was determined to have violated several company policies after a brief investigation.

“The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company,” Hilton Grand Vacations said. “His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way.”

Gray, a three-time WNBA champion and point guard for the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, shared a screenshot of a message on her Instagram account in which a fan called her the N-word.

“People act like we just made this sh-t up,” she wrote in her post. “And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’

Gray drew a foul on Clark during Sunday’s game, shortly after backing into Clark in an attempt to get separation from her. Clark would later fall to the floor, clutching her stomach, before getting up and protesting that she had been called for a common foul and that Gray hadn’t been called for an offensive foul.

The Aces’ guard’s social media post comes nearly two weeks after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas told the media she received death threats and was called racial slurs following a one-game suspension after making contact with her first to Clark’s throat while attempting to get a loose ball during the Mercury’s June 24th matchup versus the Fever.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball,” Thomas said. “A lot of us — myself included — didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. Now we’re being painted as thugs. There’s death threats out on us. It’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m just really sick and tired of it.”

The incident prompted conservative lawmakers in Washington to threaten the WNBA with a DOJ investigation regarding the treatment of Clark by other players.