ESPN analysts on WNBA's anti-racism statement amid Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry: 'If this was the other way around, you can only imagine'

The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky started their 2025-26 WNBA seasons in dramatic fashion with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese once again facing off in a physical game. However, that was overshadowed by accusations that fans in attendance made racially insensitive comments about Chicago players.

Those accusations led to the WNBA putting out an anti-racist statement condemning those types of actions. In it, the league announced they were looking into the allegations.

While discussing the incident on Get Up, Monica McNutt and Nneka Ogwumike shared their thoughts on the incident. In particular, they condemned the racist language that fans are accused of using, calling for fans to remember that players are human.

“I think folks that truly love the game of basketball need to be mindful,” McNutt said. “You need to respect the humanity of these women, whether you are team Clark or team Reese, although you can certainly be both. The aftermath, the fact that the WNBA has to put out a statement because of racist comments and unsafe conditions toward Angel Reese, like I just want people to be mindful that whether you like it or not, anytime something happens with the two of them, one is automatically put as a victim and one is automatically put as someone who needs to be saved, when in reality, both are excellent competitors.”

Race has, at times, come up in the Clark-Reese rivalry in the past. Going back to their time in college, Reese has been open about racial tension that she’s felt in how fans react to her compared to how they react to Clark. In their opener this season, Clark fouled Reese hard, leading to much of the tension within the game itself, as well as the alleged actions by fans toward Chicago players.

“They both said this was a basketball play,” McNutt said. “Now, Greeny, let’s be honest, if this was the other way around, oh, you can only imagine how the conversation would have gone.”

For her part, Nneka Ogwumike emphasized that people have a tendency to put their own feelings onto both Clark and Reese. So, fans need to realize that projecting their opinions isn’t the way to handle things, rather they should appreciate them as athletes.

“When you think about this circumstance in this day and age that we’re in, a lot of people project their own subjective feelings on these ladies, a people have gotten to know them. They just want to compete at the highest levels. Once the play was over, they were on to the next,” Ogwumike said.

“But lastly, I’ll say this, when it comes to racism and the hateful rhetoric and the statement that the WNBA is saying, I think it’s important, because at the end of the day, if you are truly a basketball fan, you would understand and agree we have no space in our game for those types of comments. And also not, you know, putting more gasoline on the fire in a circumstance where we’re here to appreciate the beautiful basketball, that’s all Caitlin and Angel want you to do. Why not just continue on (that path)?”

In the aftermath of the alleged comments made to Reese following the foul by Clark, the WNBA announced it’s investigating the incident. That investigation is going to include both organizations meeting with the league.