Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
By Drew Lerner on

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The Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd is once again finding itself at the center of the WNBA universe.

This time, an Indiana Fever fan inserted themself into the Game 2 narrative during the fourth quarter of a do-or-die game for the Fever against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Fever leading the Aces by 11 points, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson tangled with Fever forward Sophie Cunningham, who this season has become the center of an inescapable culture war that has suffocated WNBA discourse.

Immediately after the play, in which both Wilson and Cunningham went to the ground, Wilson singled out a Fever fan sitting on the baseline. The Prime Video telecast showed Wilson pointing and speaking at the fan while looking visibly upset. Wilson would ultimately receive a technical foul for the verbal altercation.

Calling the game for Prime Video was play-by-play announcer Michael Grady alongside analysts Candace Parker and LaChina Robinson. After the altercation, Robinson noted how this incident is far from the first time in which a Fever fan has inserted themself into a game this season.

“This is really unfortunate, and I feel like this has happened several times here in Indiana,” Robinson noted. “The intensity of the game is enough, and then to have to hear things from the crowd and fans, that should not- that don’t have the right to impact the game at this point and the emotions of these players.”

One such incident Robinson might be alluding to happened last month, when a pair of Fever fans were flagged by Aces guard Jackie Young. The two fans voluntarily left the game, and the Fever later released a statement indicating the fans did not violate any code of conduct.

During Tuesday’s game, Candace Parker more or less concurred with Robinson, standing up for Wilson and noting that players have very little leeway when it comes to how they can handle fans.

“To be honest with you, if you’re a player, you can’t say anything. We’re human beings as well and I think sometimes fans get into the game and think they can say whatever they want. We don’t know what was said, but A’ja took exception to it,” Parker said.

“And you know something was said, because you don’t see that kind of reaction from A’ja Wilson. That is just not even in line with her demeanor unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Robinson replied.

The Fever are striking a similar tack to last month’s incident involving Young. Per The Athletic’s James Boyd, the Fever released a statement saying there was no wrongdoing by the fan involved.

“Following a report of a comment directed toward a player, arena security spoke with the fan involved and witnesses. Security determined there was no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct, the fan was not removed from the arena. We consider the matter closed,” the Fever statement read.

It’s clear that there is a growing divide between the Fever and the rest of the league’s perception of the team’s fan base. Both Robinson and Parker identified it as a problem in real-time during Tuesday’s broadcast. The Fever, however, have reached a different conclusion.

Without knowing exactly what was said or the context in which it was said, it’s impossible to know who is justified in their stance. But what’s certain is that this has become a trend at Fever home games and nowhere else in the WNBA.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.

View all posts by Drew Lerner