After a disheartening enough 109-75 loss to the Indiana Fever in the Las Vegas Aces’ previous game on Sunday, things got even more so for Chelsea Gray after the game.
In an Instagram post, the Aces point guard shared a screenshot of a message she received which contained a racial slur directed to her.
“People act like we just make this s--- up," she captioned in her post. "And the audacity to tell us as athletes to 'shut up and dribble.'"
The responses have come swiftly and decisively in the days since Gray posted the message.
On Tuesday, Hilton Grand Vacations, the employer of the man responsible for the message, released a statement on its social media channels announcing that the individual was fired.
“The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company," the statement read. "His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company's values in any way."
On Wednesday, the Aces released a statement of their own regarding the incident.
“The Las Vegas Aces organization unequivocally condemns the hateful and racist messages recently directed at Chelsea Gray. We do not tolerate hate speech of any type, whether it’s online, in the arena, or anywhere within our community,” the Aces’ statement began.
“We stand behind those who have the courage to speak up for themselves. We are united with anyone who has been targeted by this type of unacceptable behavior.”
The Aces commended Hilton Grand Vacations for their actions and demanding accountability, adding that no athlete should have to deal with racial abuse.
“To all our players and the entire WNBA community, you have our unwavering support in fighting against all forms of racism, hate speech and harassment. You are all valued members of this league, and we stand with you today and always,” the statement continued.
When the new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to in March, some of the provisions included enhanced security, establishing a stricter code of conduct from fans and creating an anti-hate campaign designed to protect players.
However, Gray’s incident is now the second high-profile case of racist abuse targeting a WNBA player in short order. The other incident took place in June after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was suspended for a game after she struck Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the throat during a game on June 24. After receiving racial slurs and even death threats in the aftermath, Thomas publicly criticized WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert for not providing adequate protection to the league’s players.
With Englebert and WNBA now facing scrutiny from within, the impetus now falls on them to how they will better enforce their own protections.